qONGKEGATIONAL  CJIUKCH,  STKATFOKD,  COKN.,  EHECTED  A.  B.  1859. 


1639-  i88q. 

'THE 

Quarto-Millennial  Anniversary 


CONGREGATIONAL  GHURGH 


Stratford,  Connecticut. 


THE   HISTORICAL   ADDRESS 

BY   THE   PASTOR, 

AND    A    FULL    REPORT    OF    ALL    THE    EXERCISES, 


September  5%  1889. 


BRIDGEPORT,  CONN.: 

THE    STANDARD    ASSOCIATION,    PRINTERS. 

1889. 


THE  250TH  ANNIVERSARY 


CONGREGATIONAL  GHURGH  IN  STRATFORD. 


AT  a  meeting  of  the  church  held  May  4,  1888,  it  was  Voted, 
That  the  Two  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  this  church 
be  held  in  the  month  of  September,  1889. 

The  Standing  Committee  of  the  church  was  appointed  a 
general  committee  to  take  charge  of  the  celebration,  with 
power  to  appoint,  from  time  to  time,  such  sub-committees  as 
might  be  deemed  expedient. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  committees : 

GENERAL    COMMITTEE    OF    ARRANGEMENTS. 

KEV.  JOEL  S.  IVES,  Chairman.  S.  T.  PALMER, 

DEACON  A.  T.  CURTIS,  CARLOS  D.  BLAKEMAN. 

DEACON  C.  C.  WELLS,  DR.  W.  B.  COGSWELL, 

DEACON  S.  T.  HOUGHTON,  Clerk,  JAMES  TRACY  KICHARDS, 

DEACON  S.  E.  CURTIS.  LEWIS  BURRITT. 

COMMITTEE    ON    RECEPTION. 

T.  B.  FAIRCHILD,  Chairman.  WATSON  H.  SMITH, 

DEACON  C.  C.  WELLS,  S.  T.  PALMER, 

W.  E.  WHEELER,  WILFRED  M.  PECK, 

EDWIN  F.  HALL,  HENRY  C.  EVANS. 

STILES  JUDSON. 

COMMITTEE  ON  ENTERTAINMENT. 

.MRS.  G.  A.  TALBOT,  Chairman,      MRS.  R.  W.  BUNNELL. 
MRS.  G.  H.  SPALL. 


2012344 


COMMITTEE    ON    COLLATION. 


MRS.  C.  A.  TUCKER,  Chairman, 
MRS.  A.  S.  CUBTIS, 
MRS.  S.  T.  HOUGHTON, 
MRS.  C.  C.  WELLS, 
MRS.  ELBERT  O.  CURTIS, 
MRS.  C.  D.  BLAKEMAN, 
MRS.  A.  T.  CURTIS, 
MRS.  ROBERT  W.  CURTIS, 
MRS.  H.  F.  MEACHAM, 
MRS  JOSIAH  BOOTH, 
MRS.  CHARLES  W.  BLAKESLEE, 
Miss  ADA  HUBBELL. 


MRS.  SYLVANUS  DICKENSON. 
MRS.  ROBERT  MILLER, 
MRS.  W.  N.  ELY, 
MRS.  JOHN  W.  THOMPSON, 
Miss  MYRA  CURTIS, 
MRS.  S.  C.  LEWIS, 
MRS.  LEWIS  F.  JUDSON, 
Miss  MARY  A.  DEVINNE, 
Miss  MAY  CURTIS, 
Miss  MARY  ANNA  PECK, 
MRS.  W.  A.  STAGG. 


COMMITTEE    ON    DECORATION. 

RUFUS  \Y.  BUNNELL,  Chairman.  MRS.  HOWARD  J.  CURTIS, 

HORACE  H.  JUDSON,  MRS.  W.  B.  COGSWELL, 

Miss  JENNIE  P.  SMITH,  Miss  MAY  L.  SMITH, 

Miss  ALICE  C.  JUDSON,  MRS.  J.  S.  IVES, 

F.  C.  BEACH.  Miss  NELLIE  U.  SAMMIS. 


COMMITTEE    ON    MUSIC. 

HENRY  P.  STAGG,  Chairman, 
MAYNARD  T.  SMITH, 
MRS.  EMMA  A.  CURTIS. 


DEACON  S.  E.  CURTIS, 
Miss  JENNIE  A.  BOOTH. 


1639.  PROGRAMME.  1889. 


MORNING  SERVICE  BEGINNING  AT  HALF-PAST  TEN  O'CLOCK- 


Oi-gan  Voluntary,    -         -         -         -      MR.  MAYNARD  T.  SMITH. 
Doxology.     "Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 
Invocation,      -  -  REV.  GEORGE  F.  PRENTISS. 

Anthem. 

Reading  of  Scriptures,    -         -         -    REV.  JOSEPH  A.  FREEMAN. 
Prayer,    -  -         -         REV.  CHARLES  RAY  PALMER,  D.D. 

Hymn  1312.     "O  God  beneath  whose  guiding  hand." 
Historical  Address,  REV.  JOEL  S.  IVES. 

Hymn  1019.     "O,  where  are  kings  and  empires  now?" 


Communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

REV.  WILLIAM  K.  HALL,  D.D.,  AND  REV.  FRANKLIN  S.  FITCH. 
Hymn  847.     "Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds." 
Benediction, BY  THE  PASTOR. 


COLLATION  AT  THE  TOWN  HALL  AT  12.30  O'CLOCK. 


AFTERNOON   SERVICE   BEGINNING   AT   TWO  O'CLOCK- 

Organ  Voluntary  and  Anthein. 

Prayer, REV.  GEORGE  "W.  JUDSON. 

Address  of  Welcome,        .         -         .         .         .  BY  THE  PASTOR. 
Greetings  to  the  Children  and  Grandchildren  of  the  Church, 
KEY.  WILLIAM  K.  HALL,  D.D.,  AND  REV.  FRANKLIN  S.  FITCH. 
Response  from  the  First  Church  of  Woodbury, 

REV.  J.  A.  FREEMAN*. 
Response  from  the  First  Church  of  Bridgeport. 

REV.  C.  R.  PALMER,  D.D. 

Response  from  the  Church  in  Newtown,  REV.  J.  P.  HOYT. 
Hymn  1309.  "  Great  God  of  nations/' 

Response  from  the  Church  in  Huntington.  REV.  A.  J.  PARK. 
Response  from  the  Church  in  Trumbull,  DEA.  H.  L.  FAIRCHILD. 
Response  from  the  Church  in  Monroe,  DEA.  W.  WELLS  LEWIS. 
Hymn.  "God  of  our  Fathers." 

Written  for  the  occasion  by  the  Pastor. 

Response  from  the  Church  in  Southbury,  REV.  DAVID  C.  PIERCE. 
Response  from  the  Church  in  Bethlehem, 

REV.  J.  P.  TROWBRIDGE. 
Response  from  the  Church  in  Washington, 

DEACON  E.  W.  WOODRUFF. 

Response  from  the  Church  in  Roxbury 

Hymn  1030.     "Christ  is  our  Corner-stone." 

Response  from  the  Church  in  South  Britain,  MR.  JOHN  PIERCE. 

Response  from  the  North  Church  of  Woodbury, 

REV.  J.  L.  R.  WYCKOFF. 
Response  from  the  South  Church,  Bridgeport, 

REV.  R.  G.  S.  MCNEILLE. 
Hymn  1046.     "0  God  of  Bethel." 
Response  from  the  Park  Street  Church.  Bridgeport, 

REV.  H.  C.  HOYEY,  D.D. 

Response  from  the  Olivet  Church,  Bridgeport,  J.  J.  ROSE,  ESQ. 
Response  from  the  West-End  Church,  Bridgeport, 

DEA.  J.  W.  NORTHROP. 

Hymn  1141.     "  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun.'' 
Benediction REV.  JOHN  G.  DAVENPORT. 


9 


EVENING  SERVICE   BEGINNING   AT  SEVEN   O'CLOCK- 

Organ  Voluntary  and  Autliem. 

Reading  of  Scripture,      -  -   REV.  CHARLES  L.  PARDEE. 

Prayer,    -  REV.  ALFRED  E.  IVES. 

Address,  REV.  WILLIAM  K.  HALL,  D.D. 

Address,  •     REV.  FRANKLIN  S.  FITCH 

Hymn  3GG.     "  In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory." 

Reading  of  Letters,  etc. 

Address,  -       REV.  HENRY  M.  BOOTH,  D.D. 

Hymn  155.     "The  peace  which  God  alone  reveals." 

Benediction.    ------    REV.  E.  K.  HOLDEX. 


CHURCH  DECORATIONS  SEPTEMBER  5TII.      (LOOKING   WEST.) 

This  programme, — with  the  single  exception  of  no  response 
from  the  church  in  Roxbury,  which  did  not  have  a  delegate 
present, — was  carried  out  with  prompt  exactness. 


io 

The  exercises  commenced  punctually  at  the  set  time;  and 
the  morning  services  were  concluded  in  season  for  all  to  be  at 
the  Town  Hall  at  the  time  appointed  for  dinner. 

The  weather  was  exceptionally  fine,  neither  too  warm,  nor 
too  cool ;  a  clear  sunshiny  September  day.  The  various  Com- 
mittees had  each  so  performed  the  duty  assigned  to  it,  that 
nothing  was  left  undone. 

The  afternoon  services  began  promptly  on  time  and  con- 
cluded at  about  5  P.  M.  The  readiness,  with  which  the  dif- 
ferent speakers  complied  with  the  request  of  the  committee 
to  observe  a  time  limit,  enabled  all  named  on  the  programme 
to  speak,  and  there  was  no  manifest  weariness  in  the  audience. 

Supper  was  served  in  the  Town  Hall  at  6  o'clock.  Servi- 
ces were  resumed  at  7,  and  concluded  about  9. 


ANNIVERSARY  HYMN.  ' 


BY   REV.    JOEL   STONE   IVES. 


GOD  of  our  Fathers,  here  we  raise 
Our  grateful  hearts  in  joyful  praise; 
Thy  hand  hath  led  us  hitherto, 
Thy  hand  shall  lead  the  journey  through. 

Two  hundred  jrears  and  fifty  more 
Since  there  arose  on  yonder  shore 
This  ancient  church;  she  lives  to-day, 
Though  centuries  have  rolled  away. 

The  story  of  her  hopes  and  fears, 
Her  struggles,  victories,  prayers  and  tears 
We  tell  to-day.     The  bright'ning  page 
Unfolds  our  goodly  heritage. 

Faith,  hope  and  love  can  never  die; 
Recorded  are  her  vows  on  high. 
Unnumbered  souls— a  glorious  throng- 
Are  witness  to  our  prayer  and  song. 

Hail  Ancient  Church!     Lift  high  thy  voice! 
Through  centuries  yet  to  come,  rejoice! 
The  Church  Triumphant  waits,  and  we 
Shall  join  the  immortal  company. 


12 

The  following  is  a  verbatim  report  of  the  proceedings. 

INVOCATION. 

KEV.  GEORGE  F.  PRENTISS. 

LET  us  invoke  the  divine  blessing. 

We  render  unto  Thee,  Oh  God  most  High,  our  most  sincere 
thanks  for  ancestors  who  were  so  clear  in  their  convictions  and 
steady  in  their  testimony ;  that  the  mist  of  the  years  has  not 
dimmed  their  conviction,  or  the  clearness  of  their  testimony. 
We  thank  Thee  that  we  are  this  morning  permitted  to  meet, 
so  many  of  us,  in  this  aged  representation  of  their  convictions 
that  we  can  come  and  receive  the  advantage  and  the  benefit 
of  what  they  have  done.  Oh  God,  we  thank  Thee  for  Chris- 
tian fathers  and  grandfathers  of  the  many  generations  back. 
And  now,  Father,  we  invoke  Thy  divine  blessing  upon  this 
day,  upon  this  celebration,  upon  this  waiting  congregation. 
May  all  things  done  here  to-day  be  done  to  the  honor  and  to 
the  glory  of  Thy  great  and  holy  name.  And  as  Thou  didst  in 
the  days  gone  by,  help  those  Christians  to  do  their  duty  well, 
to  honor  Thee  with  all  their  powrers,  so  do  Thou  to-day  help 
us  to  do  our  duty,  to  so  stand  up  for  the  truth  and  righteous- 
ness, as  that  we  shall  be  loyal  to  the  thought  and  the  convic- 
tion of  truth  and  righteousness  which  is  in  our  own  lives.  So 
add  Thy  blessing  to  us  that  what  we  shall  do  here  to-day  may 
continue  in  its  influence  to  the  generations  to  come.  Do  Thou 
be  a  God  of  righteousness  and  truth  and  of  tender  mercy  unto 
our  children  even  to  the  third  and  the  fourth  generation.  Do 
Thou  so  mold  our  nation  and  the  thoughts  of  our  men,  who 
are  in  prominent  places,  that  their  truth  and  their  justice  may 
be  the  truth  and  justice  of  God.  So  influence  this  nation 
that  all  may  be  transformed  into  a  nation  which  shall  fear  God 
and  honor  his  commandments.  Do  Thou  hasten  the  time  by 
the  fidelity  and  the  loyalty  of  Thy  servants  and  children  here 
upon  earth ;  hasten  the  time  by  this  means,  when  all  men  shall 
acknowledge  God  as  Father  of  all,  and  King  of  Kings  in  all 
lands.  And  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit 
we  render  thanks,  not  only  to-day  but  in  that  endless  eternity 
which  is  to  come.  Amen. 


18 


An  anthem  by  the  choir,  and  the  reading  of  the  89th  Psalm, 
by  REV.  J.  A.  FREEMAN. 

PEAYEE. 

EEV.  CHARLES  EAY  PALMER,  D.D. 

LET  us  unite  in  prayer. 

Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  the  hope  of  Thy  Churches, 
the  dwelling  place  of  Thy  people  in  all  generations,  to  the 
uttermost  ends  of  the  earth,  we  rejoice  to  call  to  remembrance 
Thine  eternity.  Thy  changelessness,  in  contrast  to  our  trans- 
itory lives,  and  to  the  many  changes  by  which  they  are 
chequered.  We  rejoice  that  Thy  years  have  no  end  and  Thy 
mercies  are  without  number,  and  from  one  generation  to  an- 
other Thou  art  faithful,  gracious,  full  of  compassion,  slow  to 
anger,  plenteous  in  mercy,  giving  liberally  and  upbraiding  not. 
We  thank  Thee,  O  God,  that  in  Thy  providence  the  fathers  of 
this  church  were  led  to  associate  themselves  together  and 
covenant  with  one  another  and  with  Thee,  for  the  maintaining 
of  the  gospel,  and  for  the  furtherance  of  Christian  education. 
We  thank  Thee  from  the  beginning,  through  so  many  genera- 
tions, Thy  favor  has  preserved  this  ancient  church,  and,  as  we 
believe,  has  made  it  a  bulwark  of  truth  and  righteousness,  a 
fountain  of  Christian  influence,  a  blessing  unto  many.  And 
we  praise  Thee  for  all  by  which  Thou  hast  signalized  Thine 
acceptance  of  the  prayers,  the  labor  and  the  sacrifices  and  the 
offerings  of  Thy  people  unto  this  day.  We  are  reminded  of 
many  contrasts  between  the  present  and  the  past,  the  period 
seeming  so  long  unto  us,  although  but  as  yesterday  when  it 
is  past,  unto  Thee.  We  recognize  Thy  good  hand  in  the  con- 
tinuance of  this  church  iinto  this  time ;  and  we  render  Thee 
thanks  that  Thou  hast  here  educated  in  Thy  fear  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  Thy  truth  and  in  godliness,  so  many  who  have 
gone  hence  into  various  parts  of  our  land,  carrying  with  them 
Christian  knowledge  and  character  to  lead  useful  lives  where 
Thy  providence  has  called  them.  We  thank  Thee  that  there 
are  so  many  that  have  here  magnified  Thy  grace,  the  exceed- 
ing gracious  words  whereon  Thou  hast  caused  us  to  hope  in 


14 


every  generation,  and  that  so  many  have  learned  here  the 
words  wherein  they  have  found  eternal  life  and  gone  hence  to 
join  the  Church  Triumphant.  We  cannot  but  believe  with 
great  gratitude  they  rejoice  with  us  in  the  memories  that  are 
revived  this  day,  and  feel  a  new  thankfulness  unto  God  that 
His  grace  was  revealed  unto  them  here.  We  pray  Thee,  Our 
Father,  that  these  Thy  servants,  upon  whom  such  an  inheri- 
tance has  descended,  may  ever  be  mindful  of  it.  We  pray 
Thee  that  they  may  not  forget  their  goodly  heritage  of  Chris- 
tian tradition,  their  goodly  heritage  of  Christian  memories, 
their  goodly  heritage  of  Christian  opportunity ;  and  we  pray 
Thee  that  every  one  now  connected  with  this  church  may  feel 
this  day  that  a  new  dignity  attaches  unto  his  calling  in  this 
church  and  a  new  burden  of  responsibility  is  pressed  upon  his 
heart.  We  pray  Thee  that  Thou  wilt  continue  to  establish 
Thy  faithfulness  unto  those  who  are  here  and  unto  those  who 
shall  come  after.  Show  mercy  unto  Thy  servants  and  salva- 
tion unto  their  children.  Here  may  Thy  name  be  honored, 
here  may  Thy  truth  be  testified,  here  may  Thy  grace  be  shown, 
here  may  the  power  of  Thy  salvation  be  illustrated  for  gene- 
rations that  are  to  come.  We  praise  Thee,  O  Lord,  that  we 
may  with  so  much  confidence  address  ourselves  unto  Thee. 
We  praise  Thee  that  Thou  hast  so  fully  revealed  unto  us  Thy 
character,  that  our  hearts  are  filled  with  confidence  and  affec- 
tion towards  Thee.  O  help  us  to  be  willing  and  obedient  to 
Thyself.  Help  us  to  be  loyal  unto  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  our 
Prince  and  the  King  of  righteousness.  Help  us  to  be  mind- 
ful of  our  own  blessed  heritage  in  His  everlasting  gospel.  O 
that  we  may,  every  one  of  us,  feel  in  the  depth  of  our  hearts 
the  power  of  that  gospel,  and  may  our  lives  be  sanctified 
by  means  of  it,  so  that  we  shall  show  forth  the  excellen- 
cies of  Christ  our  Saviour  and  hold  forth  the  Word  of 
Life,  not  only  here,  but  whithersoever  Thou  slmlt  lead  us 
in  Thy  providence.  O  Lord,  our  personal  hope  is  in  Thee. 
Our  hope  is  in  Thee  concerning  the  families  of  this  people 
and  all  the  churches  that  are  here  represented  and  all  the 
churches  of  our  land.  O  Lord,  build  up  Thy  kingdom  in 
this  nation.  Sanctify  this  nation  unto  Thyself.  Make  it  a 


15 


people  to  Thy  praise.  Make  it  a  light  unto  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  Send  forth  Thy  light  and  Thy  truth  from  it,  even  unto 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  may  the  glory  of  God  be  revealed 
until  all  flesh  shall  see  it.  We  humbly  lay  before  Thee  all  the 
desires  of  our  hearts.  Especially  do  we  pray  that  we  may 
worthily  perform  whatever  rests  upon  us  to  do  this  day,  and 
may  we  humbly  accept  all  that  Thou  hast  appointed  us  to  do 
and  in  all  the  ways  in  which  Thou  shalt  lead  us.  'We  are  mind- 
ful that  we  stand  only  in  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
and  we  lift  our  hearts  rejoicing  that  He  hath  made  us  a  priest- 
hood unto  God  the  Father.  And  in  the  access  which  we  have 
unto  him  by  grace  do  we  pray  as  He  taught  us  in  His  name: 
Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven,  Hallowed  be  Thy  name,  Thy 
kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. 
Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,  and  forgive  us  our  trespas- 
ses as  we  forgive  them  who  trespass  against  us;  and  lead  us 
not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil:  For  Thine  is 
the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  forever.  Amen. 


HISTORICAL    ADDRESS. 


BY  THE  PASTOR,  REV.  JOEL  S.  IVES. 


SINCE  the  beginning  of  the  world  there  never  was  a  time, 
when  history  was  made  so  rapidly,  as  during  the  lifetime  of 
the  present  generation ;  and  in  all  the  world  no  other  coiintry 
has  equalled  ours  in  this  respect.  This  fact  makes  it  difficult 
for  us  to  appreciate  the  condition  of  things  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago,  while  it  also  gives  a  special  interest  and  value 
to  every  effort  to  bring  down  into  the  present  the  events  of 
the  long  past  and  transcribe  them  for  future  reference.  Since 
1876  the  historical  spirit  has  been  quickened  and  henceforth 
American  History  will  take  a  place  of  increasing  honor  in  the 
thoughts  of  men. 

It  is  with  just  pride  that  we  contemplate  to-day,  the  long 
record  of  this  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  an  honor,  not 
lightly  to  be  esteemed,  to  be  a  descendant  of  this 

"Pure  republic,  wild,  yet  strong. 
A  '  fierce  democracie,'  where  all  are  true 
To  what  themselves  have  voted ;" 

and,  as  well,  to  serve  such  a  people,  where 

"  They  reverence  their  priest,  but  disagreeing 
In  price  or  creed,  dismiss  him  without  fear." 

Her  long  story  is  not  now  told  for  the  first  time.  Swan, 
Cothren,  Orcutt,  and  others  also,  have  been  faithful  laborers 
in  this  field.  Whatever  of  value  this  discourse  may  have  will 
be  the  fulfillment  of  the  Master's  word,  "  others  have  labored 
and  ye  are  entered  into  their  labor." 

The  beautiful  shores  of  Long  Island  Sound,  with  the  inflow- 
ing rivers  of  sweet  water,  with  the  many  inlets  and  land-locked 
retreats,  with  the  abundant  provision  for  food  and  clothing, 


17 


were  for  untold  years  the  favorite  haunts  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican Indians.  The  Mohicans-  appear  to  have  come  from  the 
region  of  the  Hudson  River  to  the  valley  of  the  Housatonic, 
which  they  named  Poo-ta-tuck,  meaning  "falls  river,"  from 
the  falls  near  Kent,  where  they  made  their  first  camps.  Sail- 
ing down  the  river  in  their  canoes,  they  established  camping 
places  till  they  reached  the  Sound,  and  here  there  was  found, 
by  the  first  Englishmen  who  came  to  Stratford,  a  clan  called 
Cuph  eags,  which  means  literally  "  a  place  shut  in."  For  how 
many  years  this  most  beautiful  haven,  formed  by  the  broad 
mouth  of  the  river  and  the  sheltering  arms  of  Milford  Beach 
and  Stratford  Point,  had  been  occupied  by  the  red  man,  it  is 
impossible  to  say.  Their  records,  though  abundant,  are  rude 
and  vague.  But  that,  as  early  as  1637,  white  men  had  visited 
these  shores,  is  shown  by  the  testimony  of  Thomas  Stanton, 
who  was  for  many  years  the  Indian  interpreter  at  Hartford. 
He  declares  that  the  Connecticut  colony  conquered  the  Pe- 
quots  and  Pequannocks  in  1637  and  took  hostages  from  the 
Pequannock  Indians.  He  also  writes  that  in  March  of  that 
year  they  found  in  Milford  "only  one  house  or  the  karkise  of 
one."  In  1638,  Eoger  Ludlow,  the  brother-in-law  of  William 
Endicott,  with  others,  emigrated  into  Pequonnock  and  Un- 
cowa.  We  have,  therefore,  the  record  of  John  Winthrop 
with  his  company  at  Saybrook  in  1635 ;  of  Mr.  Davenport  at 
New  Haven  in  1638 ;  with  earlier  expeditions  as  far  as  Stam- 
ford in  1637  and  1638,  while  in  the  spring  of  1639,  Mr.  Prud- 
den  and  his  people  settled  in  Milford,  and  the  same  year  a 
number  of  families  settled  upon  this  most  "  beautiful  spot  of 
earth,"  with  whose  sacrifices,  struggles,  achievements,  and  far 
reaching  results,  through  two  centuries  and  a  half — the  Church 
of  Christ  of  Stratford — our  record  has  to  do  to-day. 

There  is  no  documentary  evidence  of  the  organization  of 
this  church,  as  the  records  to  the  year  1675  have  been  lost. 
But  there  is  abundant  circumstantial  evidence  that  the  church 
began  its  existence  as  early  as  1639,  and  probably  during  the 
summer  of  that  year.  I  will  only  take  the  time  to  give  one 
item.  According  to  the  records  of  the  General  Court  in  Octo- 
ber, 1639,  this  plantation  was  so  far  settled  that  "Sergeant 
2 


18 

Nichols  "  was  assigned  "  to  train  the  men  and  exercise  them 
in  military  discipline,"  and  they  were  given  "power  to  choose 
seven  men  from  among  themselves  "  who  should  decide  "  dif- 
ferences and  controversies  under  40s."  The  record  also  shows 
that  there  was  a  difference  between  Mr.  Prudden  and  the 
"  Pequonuock  plantation"  as  to  the  boundaries  between  them. 
(^Colonial  Records  i.  36.)  It  would  seem  evident  that  Eev. 
Adam  Blakeman  and  his  company  had  arrived  from  Wethers- 
field  before  this  order  of  the  Court,  for  without  them  there 
would  have  been  too  few  to  meet  the  conditions  of  the  case. 
If,  therefore,  Mr.  Blakeman,  with  a  considerable  number  of 
families,  was  here  in  1639,  there  is  sufficient  reason  to  put  the 
date  of  organization  in  that  year,  for  the  sentiment  of  our 
fathers  was  well  expressed  by  John  Davenport  when  he  said  : 
"If  we  build  the  Lord's  house,  the  Lord  will  build  our  house." 
And  as  the  late  Prof.  Johnson  says  in  his  excellent  study  of 
the  Commonwealth — Democracy  of  Connecticut:  "  It  would 
hardly  be  too  strong  to  say  that  the  establishment  of  the  town 
and  of  the  church  was  coincident :  the  universal  agreement  in 
religion  made  town  government  and  church  government  but 
two  sides  of  the  same  medal,  and  the  same  persons  took  part 
in  both." 

Kev.  Adam  Blakeman  was  born  in  Staffordshire,  England, 
in  1598,  and  entered  Christ's  College,  Oxford,  when  nineteen 
years  of  age.  Cotton  Mather  writes  of  him:  "He  was  a  use- 
ful preacher  of  the  gospel,  first  in  Licestershire,  then  in  Der- 
byshire, England."  A  "desirable  company  of  the  faithful" 
followed  this  "  holy  man "  from  England,  and  by  way  of 
Wethersfield  came  to  Stratford  as  early  as  1639,  making  their 
settlement  at  the  bend  of  the  creek  in  Sandy  Hollow  where 
the  Indians  for  many  years  had  encamped.  Except  for  this 
company  the  settlement  seems  to  have  been  made  by  individ- 
uals and  not  by  organized  association. 

Mr.  Blakeman's  ministry  continued  till  his  death,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1665,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  Of  his  writings 
only  his  will  remains  extant,  but  from  a  brief  notice  by  Mather, 
we  may  be  confident  of  his  learning,  prudence,  and  piety. 
There  is  this  testimony  also  from  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  who 


19 


said  of  him :  "  for  the  sake  of  the  sacred  and  solemn  simplicity 
of  the  discourse  of  this  worthy  man,  if  I  might  have  my 
choice,  I  would  choose  to  live  and  die  under  Mr.  Blakeman1  s 
ministry."  His  will  makes  plain  that  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Synod  from  1646  to  1648,  which  drew  up  the  Cambridge  plat- 
form, and  concerning  this  he  writes  that  he  "could  never 
(through  the  grace  of  Christ)  see  cause  to  receive  any  other 
judgment,  nor  fall  from  those  principals  so  solemnly  backed 
with  Scripture,  and  arguments  which  none  yet  could  overturn." 

In  1651,  "by  the  town  in  public  meeting,  it  was  agreed  that 
Mr.  Blakeman  shall  have  sixty-three  pounds  and  pay  part  of 
his  own  rate;"  which  would  indicate  a  good  degree  of  pros- 
perity at  that  early  date.  His  home  was  at  Sandy  Hollow 
just  west  of  the  site  of  the  first  Meeting-House.  The  first 
Parsonage  lot  recorded  was  on  Watch  Hill,  running  south  to 
Stratford  avenue. 

In  April,  1655,  five  months  before  the  death  of  Mr.  Blake- 
man, the  town  voted  to  call  Eev.  Israel  Chauncey  "to  help 
Mr.  Blakeman  in  the  ministry  for  a  year,"  and  in  June,  1666, 
there  was  a  "mutual  agreement  for  his  settling  amongst  us 
in  Stratford."  Mr.  Chauncey,  the  son  of  Rev.  Charles  Chaun- 
cey, the  president  of  Harvard  College,  was  born  in  Scit- 
uate,  Mass.,  in  1644.  and  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1661.  His 
studies  included  medicine  and  mathematics  as  well  as  theol- 
ogy, and  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  Narragansett  war, 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  council  of  the  army,  and  by  this 
council  was  ordered  to  "go  forth  with  the  army  as  their 
chirurgion."  He  was  actively  engaged  during  the  later  years 
of  his  life  in  founding  Yale  College,  and  November  11,  1701, 
was  chosen  the  Rector  of  the  institution,  but  declined  the 
honor,  probably  on  account  of  failing  health,  for  he  died  soon 
after,  March  4,  1703.  His  nephew,  Nathaniel  Chauncey,  who 
was  the  first  graduate  of  Yale  in  1702,  was  called,  with  but 
one  dissenting  vote,  to  the  vacant  pastorate,  but  he  declined, 
and  for  six  years  the  church  was  without  a  settled  pastor. 

Israel  Chauncey  was  a  prominent  and  honored  name  in  the 
Colony.  His  ministry  of  thirty-eight  years,  including  times 
of  war  with  the  Indians,  ecclesiastical  differences  resulting  in 


20 


the  division  of  the  church,  the  building  of  a  new  meeting- 
house, with  its  change  of  location,  proves  not  alone  his  "  high 
reputation  for  scholarship,"  but  his  wisdom  in  affairs,  patience 
and  skill  in  guiding  the  thoughts  of  men,  and  a  "dignity  of 
character"  and  Christian  spirit  which  secured  for  himself  the 
respect  and  honor  of  all.  It  is  an  untold  blessing  that  for 
more  than  one-third  of  a  century  this  church  grew  up  under 
the  influence  of  such  a  man.  It  is  the  longest  pastorate  in 
the  history  of  the  church. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  call  to  Mr.  Chauncey  by  the  town 
in  April,  1665,  there  seems  to  have  been  a  division  in  senti- 
ment, for  at  this  meeting  "word  was  given  to  draw  to  the 
west  side  of  the  meeting-house,  and  it  was  clearly  evident'' 
that  the  vote  was  carried  by  "the  major  part."  A  paper  sent 
to  the  new  pastor  in  1666,  by  the  selectmen,  calls  for  a  "mu- 
tual agreement "  in  regard  to  "  the  preaching  of  the  word  and 
the  administering  of  the  sacrament,"  in  accordance  with  what 
is  known  as  the  "  Half-way  Covenant "  practice.  There  are 
also  two  letters,  written  in  January,  and  in  February,  signed 
by  eight  men,  two  of  them  being  also  upon  the  board  of  select- 
men, in  Avhich  they  tell  their  "loving  brethren  and  friends" 
that  "there  hath  beene  difference  about  the  calling  of  Mr. 
Chauncey,  and  several  of  us  have  declared  our  objections 
against  his  settling  amongst  us  till  those  objections  were  an- 
swered, and  we  judge  they  never  were  unto  satisfaction."  The 
"church  answer  to  the  men"  admits  their  desire  for  the  "in. 
crease  and  enlargement  of  ye  church  when  it  may  be  attained 
in  a  rulable  and  satisfactory  way,"  but  "  plainly "  declares 
"  that  we  cannot  at  present  see  how  it  will  stand  with  the 
glory  of  God,  the  peace  of  ye  church  and  our  and  your  mutual 
edification  for  you  to  embody  with  us  in  this  society." 

In  December,  1666,  by  the  vote  of  the  town,  the  salary  of 
Mr.  Chauncey  was  fixed  at  sixty  pounds,  (this  was  afterwards 
increased  to  one  hundred  and  twelve  pounds,)  and  at  the  same 
meeting  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  parsonage  lot,  giving  one- 
quarter  part  of  it  to  Mr.  Peter  Bulkley,  "  or  any  other  man 
by  that  party  obtained  that  now  endeavors  for  Mr.  Bulkley." 
Early  in  1668,  the  minority  engaged  Mr.  Zachariah  Walker, 


21 

and  the  two  parties  appear  to  have  been  recognized  upon  an 
equality  before  the  law,  although  the  use  of  the  meeting-house 
was  at  first  denied  them.  In  1669  the  joint  use  of  the  build- 
ing was  approved  by  the  court.  But  till  the  spring  of  1672 
the  Second  Church  of  Stratford  maintained  its  existence,  at 
which  time  "  fifteen  of  Mr.  Walker's  congregation  started  with 
their  families  for  the  wilderness  of  Pomperaug  "  and  formed 
thus  the  First  Church  of  Woodbury.  No  doubt  questions 
other  than  that  of  tbe  Half-way  Covenant  influenced  this 
action,  but  differences  of  religious  opinion  surely  were  prom- 
inent from  the  beginning. 

The  following  vote  of  the  church,  June  4, 1680,  would  seem 
to  indicate  that  the  church  had  not  before  agreed  to  the  prac- 
tices of  the  Half-way  Covenant.  The  record  is  as  follows : 
"  At  a  church  meeting  the  whole  consented  that  baptism  be 
extended  to  the  infants  of  those  qualified  according  to  the  5th 
prop,  of  Synod  62." 

It  seems  not  to  have  been  easy  to  settle  upon  a  successor 
to  Mr.  Chauncey.  Several  candidates  were  voted  upon,  but 
for  over  six  years  the  church  did  not  agree  to  settle  any  one 
as  pastor. 

During  this  time,  from  May,  1703,  to  March  27,  1707,  Mr. 
John  Keed,  of  Hartford,  was  hired  by  the  town,  although  the 
relations  thus  maintained  seem  not  to  have  been  satisfactory 
either  to  Mr.  Keed  or  to  the  church. 

In  June,  1709,  seven  prominent  men  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  "  seek  for  a  stranger,"  and  September  16th,  of  the 
same  year,  action  was  taken  "for  the  continuance  of  Mr.  Tim- 
othy Cutler  amongst  us ;  one  hundred  and  three  in  favor  and 
none  against."  The  vote  for  settlement  included  the  build- 
ing of  a  house  "  every  way  well-finished,"  a  home-lot  of  over 
two  acres,  and  one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  six  mile  divi- 
sion, as  well  as  a  salary  of  £93.  06s.  8d.  All  salaries  previous 
to  this  time  appear  to  have  been  paid  in  "products  at  fixed 
prices." 

Rev.  Timothy  Cutler  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.,  June 
1,  1684,  and  was  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1701.  He  was 
ordained  the  third  pastor  of  this  church  soon  after  his  settle- 


ment  in  September,  1709.  He  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  all, 
and  bore  the  reputation  of  "  profound  and  general  learning  " 
as  well  as  being  "  the  most  celebrated  preacher  in  the  Colony. " 
After  a  pastorate  of  ten  years  he  was  elected  to  the  presidency 
of  Yale  College,  and  the  town  with  reference  thereto  "  did 
unanimously  signify  their  grief  and  sorrow  respecting  Mr. 
Cutler's  remove  from  us  who  under  God  hath  been  the  happy 
instrument  of  uniting  us  in  love  and  peace  after  many  years 
of  contention."  After  "passively"  submitting  to  Divine  Prov- 
idence, they  were  careful  to  "  provide  that  the  Kev.  trustees 
or  General  Court  allow  to  the  town  of  Stratford  one  hundred 
pounds  money  for  and  towards  the  charge  of  settling  another 
minister  among  us."  Mr.  Cutlers  home-lot  was  that  now 
occupied  by  the  "  Sterling  Homestead,'1  and  was  the  first  min- 
ister's lot  which  did  not  remain  the  property  of  his  heirs. 

After  three  years'  service  at  Yale,  Mr.  Cutler  announced  his 
preference  for  the  Episcopal  church,  and  in  1723  went  to 
England,  where  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
from  Oxford  University.  He  died  in  Boston,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years,  in  which  city  he  had  been  Rector  of  Christ's 
church. 

For  three  years  following  Mr.  Cutler's  dismission,  Rev. 
Samuel  Russell  supplied  the  pulpit,  but  a  growing  party  op- 
posed his  settlement.  An  appeal  to  an  Ecclesiastical  Council 
and  to  the  General  Court  failed  to  bring  relief  to  the  troubled 
church,  but  after  Mr.  Russell  left,  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
was  held,  and  in  the  spring  of  1722,  they  were  able  to  agree 
upon  Mr.  Hezekiah  Gold,  after  having  "  sat  under  his  min- 
istry with  great  satisfaction  and  delight."  The  letter  of  ac- 
ceptance discloses  something  of  the  chai'acter  of  the  man. 

"  To  ye  old  Society  and  Church  of  Christ  in  Stratford,  to 
whom  grace  and  peace  be  multiplied  from  God  our  Father 
and  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Dearly  beloved,  these  may 
inform  you  of  my  grateful  and  thankful  acceptance  of  your 
generous  and  honorable  proposals  for  my  incouragement  in 
ye  great  work  of  ye  ministry  amongst  you,  in  which  I  propose 
to  continue  as  God  in  his  providence  shall  permit. 

Your  faithful  servant  in  Christ,  during  life, 

HEZ.  GOLD." 


23 

His  ordination  was  upon  the  first  Wednesday  in  June,  1722, 
and  his  pastorate  continued  thirty  years  with  great  profit  to 
the  church  and  with  large  accessions  to  her  membership. 

The  Ecclesiastical  Society,  as  distinct  from  the  town,  in 
transactions  relative  to  Mr.  Gold's  settlement,  is  made  plain 
for  the  first  time  on  the  records.  The  General  Court,  in  1717, 
having  passed  an  act  defining  the  jurisdiction  of  such  societies. 

Wide-spread  religious  interest  was  awakened  throughout 
New  England  under  the  leadership  of  President  Edwards 
about  the  year  1735,  and  Mr.  Gold  entered  heartily  into  the 
work,  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  "Great  Awakening.'' 
During  the  first  year  of  his  ministry  sixty  were  added  to  the 
church  membership,  and  between  1731  and  1746  there  were 
two  hundred  and  sixty  accessions.  Kev.  George  Whitefield 
was  welcomed  by  Mr.  Gold  to  his  home  and  pulpit,  and  the  two 
men  were  in  cordial  sympathy,  both  in  doctrine  and  methods 
of  work.  It  is  probable  that  the  sermon  preached  by  Mr. 
Whitefield  on  Monday  afternoon,  October  27,  1740,  from  the 
text:  "Turn  ye  to  the  stronghold,  ye  prisoners  of  hope,;'  was 
delivered  in  the  open  air,  for  there J is  a  tradition  that  a  Mrs. 
Burrit,  living  nearly  a  mile  from  Meeting-House  Hill,  and  be- 
ing at  that  time  in  her  own  yard,  heard  Mr.  Whitefield  name  his 
text.  Rev.  Mr.  Swan  in  his  notes,  writes:  "This  sermon  was 
heard  by  Mrs.  Ann  Brooks,  who  narrated  the  matter  to  Miss 
Polly  Tomlinson,  who  related  it  to  me  in  1859,  and  she  was 
so  much  interested  that  with  her  infant  in  her  arms,  she  went 
to  Fail-field  to  hear  him  again  the  same  day."  In  the  follow- 
ing January,  Mrs.  Brooks  united  with  the  church. 

These  were  days  of  intense  feeling  and  of  strong  doctrinal 
preaching,  resulting  in  much  discussion,  and  in  the  formation 
of  parties,  not  only  in  Stratford,  but  throughout  New  England. 
Calvanistic  doctrines  were  re-asserted.  A  strong  opposition 
Avas  developed  to  the  union  of  Church  and  State,  as  well  as  to 
all  "New  Light  Proceedings."  It  is  not  strange  that  difficul- 
ties should  arise  in  the  path  of  a  pastor  in  such  a  time.  The 
opposition  found  helping  influences  in  the  presence  of  Rev. 
Richardson  Miner,  who  won  a  large  following,  and  in  other 
events,  which  culminated  in  Mr.  Gold's  dismission,  July  3, 
1752. 


24 


Before  the  death  of  Rev.  Adam  Blakeman,  there  were  those 
who  remembered  the  forms  of  church  government  in  the 
Church  of  England,  of  which  they  had  been  members,  and 
during  the  passing  years  families  came  direct  from  England 
with  the  opinions  and  prejudices  of  early  training.  It  is  not 
strange,  therefore,  that  upon  the  differences  arising  in  the  set- 
tlement of  a  successor  to  Mr.  Blakeman,  the  Rev.  George 
Muirson,  missionary  for  the  "  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel  in  foreign  parts,1'  should  find  here  congenial  soil 
for  planting  the  seeds  whence  grew  the  first  Episcopal  church 
organization  in  Connecticut.  This  was  in  1706.  After  Mr. 
Cutler  left,  there  were  similar  disturbing  influences  and  Dr. 
Samuel  Johnson,  with  marked  ability  and  success,  cared  for 
the  interests  of  Episcopacy  in  Stratford.  In  the  spring  of 
1714  the  churchmen  began  the  work  of  building  a  church  edi- 
fice; but  it  was  not  until  Christmas  Day,  1724,  that  the  build- 
ing was  opened  for  worship.  It  was  situated  within  the 
present  Episcopal  church-yard. 

It  is  fitting  that  here  some  reference  should  be  made  to 
published  statements  concerning  the  attitude  at  this  time  of 
Congregational  people  in  the  matter  of  religious  tolerance. 
We  do  not  claim  perfection,  or  that  our  fathers,  having  built 
here  for  conscience  sake,  were  not  strenuous  for  their  privi- 
leges; but  we  are  willing  to  abide  by  the  records.  In  1665 
the  General  Court  sent  word  to  Charles  II.,  "We  know  not 
of  any  one  that  hath  been  troubled  by  us  for  attending  his 
conscience,  provided  he  hath  not  disturbed  the  public."  In 
1669  a  formal  act  of  religious  toleration  was  put  on  record. 
In  1727,  the  tax  for  the  support  of  public  worship,  was  by  law 
paid  to  the  minister  of  the  Church  of  England,  by  those  mem- 
bers living  near  said  church  and  attending  the  same ;  while 
upon  our  town  records  there  are  receipts  of  the  first  Episco- 
pal minister  for  his  share  of  such  annual  tax.  There  is  one 
entry  as  early  as  1730.  Any  charge  that  the  prisons  were  full 
of  persecuted  Episcopalions  is  ridiculous  and  utterly  without 
foundation  from  any  records,  except  such  as  may  be  gathered 
from  the  history  of  Samuel  Peters,  who  married  his  wife  here, 
and  seems  to  have  a  special  grudge  against  America  in  general, 


and  Stratford  in  particular.  Mr.  Douglas  in  his  "Summary'' 
of  1749—53,  says:  "I  never  heard  of  any  persecuting  spirit  in 
Connecticut,  in  this  they  are  egregiously  aspersed."  While 
Bancroft  quotes  Governor  John  Haynes,  as  saying  to  Roger 
"Williams :  "  The  most  wise  God  hath  provided  this  part  of  the 
world,  as  a  refuge  and  receptacle  for  all  sorts  of  consciences." 

I  may  here  also  correct  the  popular  impression  that  this 
was  ever  a  Presbyterian  church.  "An  assembly  of  the  minis- 
ters of  this  Colony,"  at  Saybrook  in  1666,  originated  the  sys- 
tem of  Consociations,  which  partakes  somewhat  of  the  Pres- 
byterian form  of  church  government — indeed,  by  the  irrev- 
erant,  has  been  sometimes  named  "  Presbygationalism," — but 
the  churches  remained  Congregational,  and  the  consociational 
system  has  fallen  largely  into  disuse.  This  church  has  always 
been  Congregational  in  its  government,  declaring  both  its 
autonomy  and  its  fellowship  with  the  churches  of  like  faith 
and  order. 

The  Rev.  Izrahiah  Wetmore,  the  son  of  Rev.  Izrahiah  Wet- 
more,  of  Stratford,  succeeded  Mr.  Gold,  May  16,  1753.  His 
pastorate  of  twenty-seven  years  was  closed  by  his  resignation 
in  1780,  but  from  1785  to  his  death  in  1798,  he  was  settled 
over  the  church  in  Trumbull.  He  preached  the  election  sermon 
before  the  legislature  in  1773.  This  pulpit,  during  the  Revo- 
lution, gave  no  uncertain  sound.  Mr.  Wetmore  preached 
earnestly  and  boldly  for  the  independence  of  the  Colonies. 
News  of  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwallis  to  General  Wash- 
ington reached  Stratford  during  the  Sabbath  service,  and  was 
carried  immediately  to  Parson  Wetmore,  in  the  pulpit,  as  he 
was  delivering  his  discourse.  Straightening  himself  to  his 
full  height  and  making  known  the  intelligence,  he  said:  "It 
is  no  place  for  boisterous  demonstrations  in  the  house  of  God, 
but  we  may,  in  giving  three  cheers,  only  go  through  the  mo- 
tions !" 

The  inkstand  and  punch-bowl  of  this  minister  of  one  hund- 
red years  ago,  are  still  preserved  by  his  descendants. 

The  relation  of  the  church  to  the  war  of  '76  may  be  told  in 
a  word,  "  That  everybody  went.'' 

The  Church  Records  are  explicit  in  stating  that  after  April 


2,  1780,  "  the  church  was  vacant  four  years,  four  months  and 
two  clays,"  but  tell  us  nothing  of  what  transpired  during  that 
time,  the  next  item  being  the  minutes  of  the  Council,  which 
convened  at  the  house  of  Kobert  Walker,  August  3,  1784,  for 
the  purpose  of  ordaining  Mr.  Stephen  William  Stebbins,  which 
included  "reverend  elders  and  messengers"  from  New  Haven, 
North  Stratford,  New  Stratford,  Ripton,  in  all  twelve  churches, 
as  also  the  former  pastor,  Mr.  Wetmore,  showing  that  the 
strict  rules  of  the  Consociation  were  not  then  observed,  as 
more  than  half  of  the  churches  were  outside  of  Fairfield  East, 
and  the  moderator,  Rev.  Chauncey  Whittlesey,  of  New  Haven, 
was  not  the  moderator  of  the  Consociation.  It  was  simply  a 
Congregational  council. 

This  was  in  accord  with  "articles  agreed  on  and  assented 
to"  July  7th,  just  previous  to  the  ordination.  Our  manual 
states  that  it  was  a  declaration  of  independency,  which  seems 
hardly  justified  by  the  record,  which  reads,  "  We  are  of  opinion 
that  ecclesiastical  councils  have  no  judicial,  decisive  authority 
over  churches,  but  yet  that  it  may  be  of  great  use  in  difficult 
cases  and  in  weighty  and  important  affairs  to  call  in  neighbor- 
ing churches  for  their  advice."  The  record  continues  at 
length  to  favor  the  ordaining  of  pastors  by  council,  and  in  all 
matters  of  church  discipline  to  seek  the  "  consent  and  concur- 
rence of  the  brethren,"  while  expressing  "charity  towards 
other  churches,"  and  willingness  that  "our  ministers  should 
be  joined  and  connected  with  the  association  and  consociation." 

This  is  not  Independency,  it  is  only  a  protest  against  the 
Presbyterian  tendency  of  consociation.  It  reads  to  me  like 
good  Congregationalism,  and  it  helps  to  the  understanding  of 
this  declaration  to  know  that  Fairfield  East  had  made  just  this 
claim  of  "power  authoritatively  and  decisively  to  determine 
ecclesiastical  affairs."  It  was  a  wholesome  protest. 

Our  manual  also  states  that  the  church  re-affirmed  the  Half- 
way Covenant;  which  seems  hardly  just  to  the  records.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  this  is  only  thirty  years  after  the  dif- 
ficulties of  Mr.  Gold's  time  and  the  "new  light  proceedings," 
which  culminated  in  the  division  of  not  a  few  churches  upon 
the  terms  of  the  admission  of  members,  and  these  "articles," 


therefore,  appear  like  an  effort  to  harmonize  these  elements ; 
the  fact  being  that  the  church  did  agree  upon  them.  The 
only  resemblance  to  the  principals  of  the  Half-way  Covenant 
was  the  recognition  of  infant  baptism  as  bringing  such  per- 
sons to  the  "next  and  immediate  duty  of  solemnly"  owning 
such  baptism.  But  note,  the  articles  say:  "It  is  our  opinion 
that  none  should  be  admitted  hereto,  (i.  e ,  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per,) but  such  as  are  free  from  open  scandal,  appear  to  be 
serious,  own  the  Christian  doctrines  and  to  the  judgment  of 
charity  are  resolved  by  divine  grace  to  maintain  a  conversa- 
tion becoming  the  gospel."  It  is  further  declared  to  be  "the 
opinion  of  this  church  that  as  there  is  but  one  covenant,  the 
ordinances  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  are  equally 
sacred ;''  and  that  "  special  pains  should  be  taken  to  remove 
the  doubts"  of  any,  "and  invite  and  urge  them  to  their  duty." 

It  would  certainly  be  hard  to  find  much  fault  with  this  or  to 
show  any  difference  from  our  present  practices,  except  that 
we  have  so  much  neglected  the  sacred  covenant  with  Almighty 
God  into  which  parents  enter  when  they  bring  their  children 
to  Him  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism.' 

The  records  contain  the  names  of  one  hundred  and  three 
persons  who  were  "admitted  to  special  ordinances  in  the 
church "  during  the  twenty-nine  years  of  Mr.  Stebbins'  pas- 
torate. He  was  dismissed  in  August,  1813.  To  him  belongs 
the  credit  of  stopping  the  vandalism  which  cut  away  so  much 
from  Academy  Hill  and  spoiled  its  symetry. 

His  pastorate  covered  the  times  of  special  religious  declen- 
sion throughout  New  England  In  many  churches  there  was 
not  a  member  who  could  offer  public  prayer.  War  had  demor- 
alized the  people.  French  infidelity  was  rife.  Unitarianism 
and  Universalism  gained  new  footholds.  The  churches  of  the 
Pilgrims  were  in  their  captivity.  But  it  was  the  darkness 
which  preceeds  the  dawn.  God  was  waiting  to  be  gracious 
to  his  people. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  history  to  the  end  of  this  pas- 
torate in  1813,  the  average  length  of  these  six  pastorates  is 
twenty-six  and  one-half  years.  From  this  time  onward  the 
terms  of  service  are  to  be  marked  for  brevity,  that  of  Mr.  Weed 


28 


being  fifteen  and  one-half  years,  and  no  other  reaching  beyond 
seven  years  duration. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  Kev.  Jesse  Lee  preached  here  July 
3,  1789,  and  it  is  on  record  that  the  first  Methodist  class  was 
formed  May  19,  1790,  which  in  the  following  year  numbered 
twenty  members.  Services  were  held  in  private  houses  till 
1810,  when  the  first  house  of  worship  was  built.  The  present 
building  was  erected  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Abram  S. 
Francis  in  1839  and  1840. 

These  gatherings  of  Methodist  people  in  private  houses,  for 
prayer  and  praise,  not  only  on  the  Lord's  day,  but  on  week- 
day evenings  as  well,  were  the  beginnings  of  similar  gather- 
ings among  the  Congregationalists,  who  before  this  time  were 
unacquainted  with  what  we  now  call  the  Prayer-Meeting. 
There  were  "Circular  Fasts,"  held  for  twelve  or  fifteen  years 
after  the  preaching  of  Whitefield  in  1740,  but  aside  from  "The 
Sacramental  Lectures,"  previous  to  the  communion,  whose 
origin  is  uncertain,  as  Prof.  Phelps  says,  "  In  the  olden  times 
the  two  sermons  on  the  Lord's  day,  with  the  accompanying 
exercises,  constituted  the  whole  of  the  services  of  public  wor- 
ship." It  was  not  without  decided  opposition  that  these 
prayer-meetings  were  begun,  held  first  in  private  houses,  then 
in  the  shop  on  Main  street,  attached  to  the  McEwen  house ; 
then  in  Roswell  Curtis'  shop ;  then  in  the  Academy,  until  it 
found  a  resting  place  in  the  lecture-room  which  was  built  dur- 
ing the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Weed  in  1845. 

Rev.  Matthew  R.  Dutton,  September  20,  1814,  was  ordained 
the  seventh  pastor,  and  for  seven  years  worked  successfully 
for  the  building  of  waste  places,  till  in  1821,  he  accepted  the 
Professorship  of  Natural  Philosophy  in  Yale  College,  where 
he  died  July  17,  1825. 

At  this  ordination  the  ordaining  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev. 
Nathan  Birdseye,  a  descendant  of  John  Birdseye,  the  first 
deacon  of  this  chuich,  who  was  at  this  time  one  hundred  years 
old,  and  had  twelve  children,  seventy-six  grandchildren,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-three  great-grandchildren,  and  seven  great- 
great-grandchildren — in  all  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight,  of 
whom  two  hundred  and  six  were  living  at  the  time  of  his 


2!) 


death  in  1818,  at  the  :ige  of  one  hundred  and  three  years,  five 
months,  and  nine  days.  Mr.  Birdseye's  descendants  in  Strat- 
ford, to-day,  would  comprise  a  large  portion  of  the  village. 

So  great  was  the  laxity  both  of  faith  and  practice  during 
the  early  years  of  this  century,  that  Mr.  Stebbins  had  refused 
to  administer  the  communion.  After  his  dismission,  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  church,  June  26,  1814,  it  was  voted  "  that  each 
member  of  this  church  shall  manifest  his  or  her  assent  to  the 
Confession  of  Faith,  adopted  by  this  church,  by  rising  up," 
and  it  was  further  voted,  July  24,  1814,  that  those  who  thus 
"assented"  shall  "constitute  the  church  in  this  society  in 
Stratford."  On  the  5th  of  August,  following,  Mr.  Dutton  was 
called  to  the  pastorate,  and  there  appear  to  have  been  eighty 
members  who  thus  "constituted"  the  church  at  this  time. 
During  the  following  year,  forty-two  were  added,  on  the  first 
Sabbath  in  July,  1821,  seventy,  and  during  the  seven  years 
from  1814  to  1825,  one  hundred  and  fifty-three. 

The  records  tell  us  nothing  of  what  happened  during  the 
three  years  following  the  autumn  of  1821.  but  January  10, 
1825.  there  was  "free  and  cordial  unanimity"  in  calling  to  the 
pastorate  Rev.  Joshua  Leavitt,  who,  though  leaving  the  church 
after  three  years  to  accept  the  office  of  Secretary  of  the  Amer- 
ican Seaman's  Friend  Society,  was  a  most  active  and  aggres- 
sive man  in  affairs  both  of  Church  and  State,  and  exerted  a 
strong  influence  in  the  town  especially  upon  the  questions  of 
temperance,  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves,  and  the  conduct 
of  the  schools. 

February  27,  1828,  sixty  delegates  representing  thirty-six 
churches,  met  here  in  general  conference.  There  were  ad- 
dresses to  the  church,  heads  of  families,  the  aged,  the  impen- 
itent, and  the  youth.  In  Mr.  Leavitt's  own  words,  "The 
whole  exercises  were  very  solemn,  and  a  crowded  house  was 
deeply  impressed  by  the  scene.  May  the  savor  of  that  day 
long  remain  in  Stratford." 

If  all  of  the  clerks  and  pastors  had  kept  the  records  as  Mr. 
Leavitt  did  there  would  be  no  lack  of  data  for  the  use  of  the 
future  historian.  After  transcribing  the  full  details  of  his  dis- 
mission, he  puts  on  record  the  following:  "And  now  that  my 


pastoral  connection  with  this  people  is  thus  formally  dissolved, 
I  give  up  my  charge  into  the  hands  of  Him  from  whom  I  re- 
ceived, with  the  humble  prayer  that  grace,  mercy  and  peace, 
from  God  our  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  may  be 
multiplied  unto  them  foreverniore.  May  God  reward  them 
a  thousand  fold  for  all  their  kindness  to  me  and  mine,  and  in 
His  own  good  time  and  way  send  them  a  more  faithful  and 
successful  minister."  The  spirit  of  a  faithful  pastor  breathes 
through  every  word  of  this  benediction. 

Dr.  Leavitt,  in  1826,  organized  the  Sunday-School  and  was 
its  superintendent  during  the  remainder  of  his  pastorate,  with 
the  assistance  of  Miss  Mariah  McEwen,  who,  upon  Mr.  Leavitt's 
resignation,  took  full  charge  of  the  school  for  several  years, 
till  the  election  of  Eli  Booth,  who  was  followed  in  succession 
by  Deacon  David  P.  Judson,  Henry  Plant,  William  Strong, 
Henry  Plant,  a  second  term,  Frederick  Sedgewick,  Deacon 
Samuel  T.  Houghton,  Deacon  Samuel  E.  Curtis,  Rev.  Joel  S. 
Ives,  Principal  Wilfred  M.  Peck,  and  the  present  incumbent, 
Horace  H.  Judson. 

June  18,  1826,  after  a  reference  of  the  matter  to  a  com- 
mittee appointed  in  the  preceding  May,  a  standing  committee, 
or  "Helps,"  were  elected,  consisting  of  Deacon  Agur  Curtis, 
Deacon  Philo  Curtis,  and  Deacon  Agur  Curtis,  3d. 

Rev.  Thomas  Robbins  was  installed  pastor  in  1830,  but  was 
dismissed  in  September  of  the  following  year.  Rev.  Samuel 
Griswold  seems  to  have  supplied  the  pulpit  for  a  time,  as 
thirty-two  were  received  by  him  to  this  church  in  December, 
1831,  and  January,  1832. 

The  tenth  pastor  was  Rev.  Frederick  W.  Chapman,  who 
was  ordained  September  5,  1832,  and  remained  six  and  a  half 
years.  These  were  times  of  widespread  revival  interest,  and 
names  were  added  to  the  church  roll  who  have  been  a  tower 
of  strength ;  exerting  an  influence  of  blessing  upon  the  com- 
munity, especially  in  Putney  and  Oronoque.  Prayer-meet- 
ings were  begun  in  Oronoque,  during  the  pastorate  of  Dr. 
Dutton,  and  there  have  been  prayer-meetings  at  the  Putney 
chapel  since  1867.  The  chapel  in  Putney  was  built  in  1844. 


31 


These  religious  influences  have  been  a  large  factor  in  making 
those  communities  thrifty  and  wholesome. 

The  last  half  century  of  our  history  began  with  a  pastorate 
cherished  in  the  memory  of  all  whose  recollections  reach  back 
thirty-five  years  or  more,  and  fruitful  in  all  good  things  to 
this  church  and  community.  December  4, 1839,  Rev.  William 
Bouton  Weed  was  ordained  pastor  and  ministered  to  this  peo- 
ple fifteen  and  one-half  years,  till  his  dismission  in  May,  1855, 
to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  First  church  in  Norwalk,  where, 
"having  served  his  generation  by  the  will  of  God,  he  fell  on 
sleep,"  December  13,  1860. 

I  can  do  no  better  than  to  quote  a  paragraph  from  the 
tribute  of  Dr.  Robert  R.  Booth,  who  said  at  Mr.  Weed's 
funeral:  "It  was  at  Stratford  that  his  ministeral  character 
was  formed,  his  peculiar  reputation  was  acquired,  and  his 
great  work  was  done.  He  went  there  a  young  man,  with  a 
mind  richly  stored  with  learning,  and  a  heart  all  aglow  with 
Christian  fervor.  He  burst  like  a  new  planet  upon  this  quiet 
village,  where  preaching  had  before  been  exhibited  more  as  a 
sober,  sacred  duty,  than  as  a  divine  and  thrilling  art.  From 
the  very  beginning  of  his  service  there,  he  revealed  himself  as 
a  remarkable  man  and  his  fame  went  abroad  into  the  adjacent 
country.  A  glorious  revival  of  religion  followed  soon,  coming 
like  the  warm  breath  of  spring  to  unlock  the  ice-bound  earth 
and  fill  all  hearts  with  gladness.  Many  precious  souls  were 
then  gathered  into  the  church.  His  whole  course  was  signal- 
ized by  the  most  laborious  study,  by  ardent  and  devoted 
labors,  and  by  a  remarkable  earnestness  of  action,  truthful- 
ness and  plainness  of  speech,  and  an  intense  force  of  life  which 
made  him  the  central  influence  of  the  town.  His  sermons 
were  always  driven  home.  His  views  of  truth  and  duty  be- 
came the  standards  of  opinion.  Men  of  all  conditions  and  of 
all  varieties  of  views  were  attracted  to  his  pulpit,  and,  not- 
withstanding the  eccentricities  of  his  character,  he  has  left  an 
impression  for  good  upon  that  community  which  will  not  pass 
away  while  the  generation  that  knew  him  continues  on  the 
stage  of  action.'' 

Rev.  Joseph  R.  Page  was  installed  February  11,  1857,  and 


32 


was  dismissed  September  26,  1858;  the  "only  reason  for 
making  the  request "  for  dismission,  in  Mr.  Page's  own  words, 
"is  the  want  of  adaptation  to  each  other  of  the  parties."  The 
records  seem  to  show  good  work  and  fifty  names  were  added 
to  the  church  roll  during  this  brief  pastorate. 

After  a  unanimous  call,  Rev.  Benjamin  L.  Swan  entered- 
upon  his  duties  as  pastor,  November  1,  1858,  and  was  dis- 
missed after  about  four  years  and  one-half  of  service,  during 
which  time  the  present  house  of  worship  was  completed  and 
the  general  work  of  the  church  seems  to  have  been  thoroughly 
attended  to.  Mr.  Swan's  records  are  models  both  in  matter 
and  penmanship,  and  his  interest  in  the  history  of  the  church 
and  town  wrought  results  of  incalculable  value.  It  seems 
most  unfortunate  that  this  pastorate  could  not  have  been 
greatly  extended.  And  to  our  brother  whose  life  we  trust 
may  long  be  spared  and  whose  presence  at  this  anniversary 
was  much  desired,  we  extend  our  heartiest  greetings  with  our 
appreciation  of  the  labors  of  love  here  performed. 

With  characteristic  exactness  there  is  recorded  the  facts  of 
having  preached  in  this  pulpit  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
Sabbaths,  and  six  hundred  and  ninety-six  sermons  and  lec- 
tures; of  thirty-seven  admitted  to  the  church,  and  of  nine 
hundred  and  eighty-three  "calls  on  families,"  which  numbered 
one  hundred  and  sixty  in  1859,  and  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  in  1862. 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  church :  "  In 
accepting  the  resignation  of  our  pastor,  Rev.  B.  L.  Swan,  we 
take  occasion  to  express  to  him  our  high  appreciation  of  his 
gifts  and  learning  and  our  unhesitating  confidence  in  his  piety 
and  soundness  in  the  faith,  and  that  we  affectionately  assure 
him  of  our  sincere  wishes  and  our  prayers  for  his  usefulness 
and  happiness  in  whatever  sphere  God  in  His  providence  may 
hereafter  place  him." 

May  25,  1864,  Rev.  Louis  E.  Charpiot  was  installed  pastor, 
the  sermon  being  preached  by  Dr.  Noah  Porter,  and  during 
the  two  years  that  he  ministered  twenty-five  were  added  to 
the  church. 

William  K.  Hall,  D.D.,  after  theological   studies   in  New 


33 


Haven  and  in  Gei-many  and  ordination  as  chaplain  of  the  Con- 
necticut volunteers,  was  installed  pastor  of  this  church  Octo- 
ber 24,  1866,  and  was  dismissed  May  21, 1872 ;  a  letter  of  res- 
ignation having  been  sent  to  the  church  March  31st,  which 
stated,  to  quote  Dr.  Hall's  words,  "the  discouragements  under 
which  I  was  pursuing  my  work  among  them,  from  a  want  of 
their  cooperation  in  that  work/' 

In  July,  1867,  "  It  was  voted  that  the  public  services  of  the 
afternoon  be  omitted  and  that  public  worship  be  held  in  the 
evening."  For  nineteen  years  the  plan  of  holding  the  second 
service  in  the  evening  during  several  months  in  the  summer 
and  in  the  afternoon  during  the  rest  of  the  year  was  continued, 
with  something  of  friction  whenever  the  votes  were  taken,  till 
November  14,  1886,  when  it  was  voted  to  hold  the  second  ser- 
vice in  the  evening  during  the  entire  year. 

In  1869  a  manual  was  issued  which  shows  a  membership  of 
two  hundred  and  sixty-six ;  during  the  year  previous  forty- 
three  were  added  to  the  church.  The  church  is  greatly  to  be 
commended  for  issuing  so  much  of;  historical  matter  which 
had  been  gathered  by  the  research  of  Rev.  Mr.  Swan.  A 
second  manual  was  issued  in  1881,  in  which  were  added  pic- 
tures of  the  present  edifice  and  of  the  edifice  preceding  this, 
and,  also,  a  list  of  members  from  the  beginning,  gathered  with 
great  patience  and  labor  by  Mr.  C.  H.  Warner.  The  member- 
ship of  the  church  was  then  two  hundred  and  seventy. 

Dr.  Hall  accepted  a  call  from  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
in  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  in  January,  1873,  and  is  still  ministering 
to  that  people  with  increasing  usefulness. 

April  6,  1873,  a  call  was  extended  to  Mr.  Frank  S.  Fitch, 
who  was  about  to  graduate  at  Yale  Theological  Seminary. 
June  17th,  he  was  ordained  pastor,  and  ministered  with  great 
acceptance  and  marked  success  till  September  29,  1878,  when 
he  resigned  to  accept  a  call  from  the  Seventh  Street  Congre- 
gational church  in  Cincinnati.  These  were  years  of  revival, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-six'were  added  to  the  church, 
making  at  the  present  time  about  one-quarter  of  the  member- 
ship. "He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise."  It  has  always  seemed 
to  me  extremely  unfortunate  that  after  receiving  this  large 
3 


34 


company  of  young  people  to  the  church  Mr.  Fitch  could  not 
have  remained  to  train  them  in  Christian  work  and  establish 
them  in  the  faith. 

Samuel  Howard  Dana,  D.D.,  was  called  to  this  pastorate 
December  22, 1878,  an.d  was  installed  March  12, 1879.  At  his 
own  request  he  was  dismissed  December  6,  1881.  The  fol- 
lowing is  from  the  "  Result  of  Council ?' : 

"In  reluctantly  consenting  to  sanction  the  removal  of  Mr. 
Dana  from  the  fellowship  with  the  churches  of  this  body  to 
which  he  was  cordially  welcomed  nearly  three  years  since,  and 
in  which  he  has  been  increasingly  appreciated,  we  tender  him 
our  heartiest  wishes  for  his  future  welfare  and  usefulness, 
and  we  commend  him  to  the  churches  in  the  midst  of  which 
his  lot  may  be  cast  hereafter,  as  an  active,  earnest  and  dili- 
gent minister  of  Christ,  of  Catholic  spirit,  of  fine  culture  and 
scholarly  aspiration  ;  of  unblemished  character  and  in  good 
repute  as  a  preacher  and  pastor ;  and  as  a  man  whose  patience 
and  dignity  in  peculiar  trials  have  been  recognized  with  admi- 
ration both  by  the  people  of  his  immediate  charge  and  by  the 
Christian  public  surrounding  them." 

For  the  past  six  years  Dr.  Dana  has  been  the  successful 
pastor  of  the  Union  Congregational  church  of  Quincy,  Illinois. 
We  are  sorry  not  to  have  him  with  us  in  these  festivities. 

During  the  six  months,  beginning  with  February,  1882,  Dr. 
Edwin  Johnson  supplied  the  church,  and  during  the  summer 
Rev.  F.  S.  Fitch,  to  whom  a  unanimous  and  hearty  vote  was 
extended  to  assume  again  the  pastorate.  In  declining  Mr. 
Fitch  wrote,  "  My  heart  has  said  'yes '  all  along,  but  iny  judg- 
ment has  constrained  me  to  say  'no.'" 

Early  in  1883,  H.  M.  Ladd,  D.D.,  supplied  for  several  weeks 
and  a  call  was  extended  to  him,  which  he  declined.  As  the 
year  wore  on  many  candidates  were  heard,  till  September  23, 
1883,  a  call  was  extended  to  your  present  pastor,  whose  term 
of  service  is,  by  a  few  months,  longer  than  any  since  that  of 
Mr.  Weed.  Meanwhile  the  membership  of  the  church  had 
been  growing  less,  from  two  hundred  and  seventy  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty,  but  since  1884,  eighty  have  been  added, 
making  the  number  about  the  same  as  during  Mr.  Hall's  and 


35 


Mr.  Fitch's  ministry.  Oh  that  the  Lord  might  visit  his  her- 
itage in  blessing  and  fit  pastor  and  people  for  a  large  ingather- 
ing of  precious  souls ! 

October  26,  1885,  a  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor was  organized  and  has  been  a  most  hopeful  and  help- 
ful means  of  bringing  the  young  people  into  the  Christian  life 
and  of  training  them  for  Christian  service.  For  more  than  a 
year  a  Junior  Society  has  been  found  useful  in  fitting  the 
little  ones  for  work,  and  in  encouraging  them  in  looking  for- 
ward to  helpful  participation  in  the  activities  of  the  church. 

Philip  Groves'  name  appears  among  the  earliest  lists  of  the 
Colony.  He  was  the  only  Ruling  Elder  of  the  church ;  in 
1654  he  was  chosen  "Assistant,"  and  "was  empowered  to 
marry  persons."  The  following  is  the  list  of  Deacons:  John 
Birdsey,  whose  son,  John,  was  born  in  Stratford  in  1641 ; 
Timothy  Wilcoxson,  Thomas  Wells,  Robert  Walker,  John 
Thompson,  Ephraim  Judson,  Job  Peck,  Elnathan  Wheeler, 
Isaiah  Brown,  Ebenezer  Coe,  Nathan  McEwen,  Samuel  Ufford, 
Agur  Curtis,  Philo  Curtis,  Agur  Curtis,  "3d,"  David  P.  Jud- 
son, Agur  Treat  Curtis,  Lewis  Beers,  Charles  C.  Wells,  Samuel 
T.  Houghton.  and  Samuel  E.  Curtis. 

The  first  house  of  worship  was  on  the  shore  of  the  creek  at 
Sandy  Hollow,  where  is  now  the  barn  belonging  to  Captain 
William  Barrymore.  There  are  no  records  of  its  dimensions, 
but  if  it  was  like  the  first  meeting-house  in  New  Haven,  it  was 
square,  with  a  hip-roof,  and  on  the  top  an  out-look  against  the 
approach  of  Indians,  and,  also,  some  provision  for  a  bell, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  church  bell  in  the  State. 
The  first  sexton  and  bell-ringer  was  John  Peet ;  when  his 
duties  began  we  do  not  know,  but  in  1660  John  Pickett  was 
elected  by  the  town  to  fill  his  place.  In  1661  "  it  wras  agreed 
that  there  shall  be  a  gallery  builded  in  the  meeting-house  in 
the  convenient  place."  This  house  was  in  use  about  forty 
years,  for  in  1681  it  was  torn  down  and  the  materials  sold  at 
auction ;  some  of  the  timbers  being  in  the  house  near  by,  now 
occupied  by  Mr.  Joseph  Savage. 

"  Goodman  Peake  "  and  "  Goodman  Pickett"  not  only  cared 


for  the  building  and  rang  the  bell  for  meetings  and  at  "  nine 
of  the  clock,"  but  were  required  "  to  watch  over  the  disorderly 
persons  in  the  meeting  and  use  his  discretion  in  striking  any 
person  whom  he  finds  so  disorderly." 

As  the  years  went  on  the  population  of  Stratford  moved 
"up  town."  So  that  in  1678,  when  the  location  of  the  new 
church,  which  had  been  resolved  upon  only  two  years  after 
the  Narragansett  war,  was  mooted  and  five  different  localities 
were  mentioned,  Rev.  Israel  Chauncey  agreed  to  give  £40  if 
they  would  "  sett  the  meeting-house  upon  the  hill,"  and  No- 
vember 25,  1679,  it  voted  to  "move  up  town." 

The  location,  which  we  call  Academy  Hill,  was  then  Watch- 
house  hill  and  in  early  years  marked  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  settlement,  as  along  the  northern  brow  of  the  hill  there 
was  a  row  of  palisades,  within  which  was  the  Watch-house. 
The  dimensions  of  this  second  meeting-house  were  "forty-eight 
feet  in  length,  forty-two  feet  in  breadth,  and  sixteen  feet  be- 
tween joints,"  from  which  I  judge  that  the  general  appearance 
of  the  building  was  the  same  with  the  first.  The  building 
committee  were  "Captain  William  Curtis,  Sergt.  Jerem.  Jud- 
son,  John  Curtis,  Sergt.  Jehiel  Preston,  and  John  Birdseye, 
Jr."  The  house  was  built  during  the  summer  of  1680,  and  by 
vote  of  the  town  the  inhabitants  were  seated  according  to 
rules  of  dignity,  one  special  rule  being  the  amount  they  paid 
to  the  new  building,  which  was  of  course  by  tax  and  not  volun- 
tary. At  this  time  a  day's  work  was  credited  at  two  shillings 
and  sixpence  to  three  shillings. 

The  tax  which  was  voted  "  to  pay  charges  about  the  build- 
ing "  was  £100.  In  1689  it  was  voted  to  fortify  the  house  so 
that  it  could  be  used  "  as  a  place  of  security  for  women  and 
children." 

In  1700  an  end  gallery  was  built,  and  in  1715  two  side  gal- 
leries, and  it  was  voted  in  1718  that  the  west  side  gallery  "  shall 
be  seated  with  married  men,  the  east  gallery  with  married 
women,  and  antiant  bachelors  and  antiant  maidens  the  second 
seats."  In  1715  "  farmers  were  granted  liberty  to  erect  suit- 
able shelter  for  their  horses  on  all  public  days."  The  first 
pews  were  built  about  1710. 


INTEIUOn  OF  OLD  CHTJECH. 


39 


During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Gold,  on  tlie  "  second  Monday, 
February,  1743,  voted  that  it  is  necessary  to  build  a  meeting- 
house." This  is  the  action  of  the  ecclesiastical  society,  not 
the  town.  There  was  also  a  difference  of  opinion  in  regard 
to  location,  for  "  Captain  Theoplius  Nichols,  Mr.  Robert  Wal- 
ker, Jr.,  and  Sergeant  Daniel  Porter,"  were  empowered  to 
make  application  to  the  General  Assembly  for  "  a  committee 
to  fix  a  place  where  the  said  society  shall  erect  their  meeting- 
house." The  dimensions  were  to  be  sixty  feet  in  length,  forty 
in  width,  the  posts  twenty-six  feet,  and  a  steeple  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  high.  This  third  meeting-house  was  located 
near  the  sight  of  the  old  academy,  a  few  rods  west  of  the  pre- 
ceding house,  facing  south,  where  was  the  door  of  entrance, 
and  some  marks  of  the  bridle-path  leading  to  it  now  remain. 
It  was  destroyed  by  lightning  June  11,  1785,  the  fire  bursting 
out  first  from  the  steeple.  This  was  during  the  pastorate  of 
Mr.  Stebbins. 

The  society  seem  not  at  all  to  have  been  disheartened  by 
their  loss,  for  the  frame  of  the  new  house  was  begun  to  be 
raised  on  Friday,  May  17,  1786,  upon  this  location  where  we 
now  are,  which  was  then  called  Hiell's  hill,  and  also  Smith 
shop  hill,  and  in  just  twenty-five  weeks  it  was  completed,  the 
services  of  dedication  being  on  Sunday,  November  12th,  when 
Mr.  Stebbins  preached  in  the  morning  from  Psalms  107:7, 
after  which  was  the  communion,  and  at  three  in  the  afternoon 
there  was  a  union  service,  at  which  time  Mr.  Stebbins  again 
preached. 

The  dimensions  of  this  fourth  building  were  the  same  as 
the  third,  and  the  general  appearance  is  familiar  from  the  cut 
in  our  manual.  It  was  an  imposing  structure  for  the  times. 
The  view  of  the  interior  has  been  preserved  through  the 
thoughtfulness  of  Mr.  R.  W.  Bunnell,  who  stepped  into  the 
building  November  1, 1858,  as  it  was  being  torn  down  to  make 
way  for  the  present  edifice,  and  sketched  the  pulpit,  sounding- 
board  and  surroundings  so  perfectly  that  the  room  has  been 
finely  reproduced.  Mr.  Swan  records  that  six  hundred  and 
twenty-four  were  received  to  the  church  membership  in  that 
building. 


40 

Mr.  William  A.  Booth,  of  New  York,  then  living  here,  built 
the  beautiful  parsonage,  which  each  pastor  since  Mr.  Swan 
has  greatly  enjoyed,  and  for  several  years  rented  it  to  the 
society  for  a  nominal  sum.  It  was  afterwards  purchased  of 
him.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  erection  of  the 
present  meeting-house,  which  was  dedicated  October  27, 1859, 
with  the  scripture  reading  by  Dr.  Brace,  of  Milford  ;  the  prayer 
by  Dr.  Hewitt,  of  Bridgeport,  and  the  sermon  by  Dr.  K.  S. 
Storrs,  of  Brooklyn.  Its  architecture  is  peculiarly  ecclesias- 
tical and  beautiful.  Last  year  it  was  greatly  improved  by  the 
introduction  of  steam  heating  apparatus,  as  well  as  thoroughly 
repaired. 

The  town  meeting  has  frequently  been  referred  to  as  the 
corner-stone  of  our  civil  freedom.  Too  much  honor  cannot 
be  given  to  Connecticut  as  the  mother  of  our  democracy  and 
the  author  of  our  widespread  doctrine  of  civil  government  as 
well  as  the  source  of  the  compromise  out  of  which  grew  our 
present  National  Constitution,  in  which  Stratford  had  her 
honored  part ;  but  beyond  this  I  agree  with  Senator  Platt  in 
the  declaration,  that  "  The  Congregational  church  was  a  re- 
ligious democracy,  and  our  civil  independence  and  political 
self-government  are  its  necessary  out-growth.  The  day  of  the 
meeting-house  was  a  day  of  moral  earnestness." 

The  metrical  version  of  the  Psalms,  by  Sternhold  and  Hop- 
kins, was  printed  with  the  Bibles  of  the  latter  part  of  the  16th 
century,  and  was  probably  used  by  the  founders  of  this  church. 
The  Bay  Psalm  Book  was  published  in  1640,  and  after  a  few 
years  was  in  general  use  in  New  England.  It  is  interesting 
to  remember  that  at  the  organization  of  this  church  the  King 
James  verson  of  the  Bible  was  not  in  universal  use.  The  Gene- 
van Bible  was  used  for  many  years  at  New  Haven,  and  not 
unlikely  in  this  church,  also,  with  the  same  strong  opposition 
to  "any  change  in  the  Word  of  God,"  which  we  find  to- 
day with  reference  to  the  Kevised  Version.  Dr.  Watt's  Scrip- 
tural selection  was  in  use  after  the  Bay  Psalm  Book  and,  also, 
Tate  and  Brady,  which  was  also  published  in  1765  with  an 
appendix  from  Dr.  Watts.  A  hundred  years  after  this  we  find 


41 


the  Church  Psalmody,  and  in  1857  there  was  in  use  here  the 
"  Psalms  and  Hymns,"  issued  by  the  State  Association.  In 
February,  1873,  a  committee  was  appointed  who  selected  the 
"•  Songs  for  the  Sanctuary,"  which  has  been  in  use  since  then. 
In  early  years  one  or  more  choristers  were  elected  who  set 
the  tune  with  a  pitch-pipe ;  after  that  the  base  viol  and  other 
stringed  instruments  led  the  service  of  song,  with  the  addition 
of  a  choir  completing  the  four  parts.  Fugue  tunes  came  into 
use  in  the  latter  part  of  the  18th  century.  The  next  advance 
was  a  melodeon  with  two  banks  of  keys,  and  in  1868  our  pres- 
ent organ  was  purchased. 

"  All  nations  prayse  the  Lord ;  him  prayse 

all  people.    For  his  mercies  bee 
great  toward  us ;  also  always 
the  Lord's  truth  lasts,  the  Lord  prayse  yee." 

[From  Bay  Psalm  Book,  1640.] 

In  this  brief  time,  which  can  be  taken  from  the  crowded  ex- 
ercises of  this  anniversary,  I  have  given  a  few  meagre  outline 
touches  along  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  our  history. 
The  simple  facts  would  be  of  little  interest  were  it  not  that  a 
"  master  thought "  underlies  them  all.  It  is,  What  God  has 
wrought  through  His  people  for  His  kingdom.  The  work- 
men— more  than  two  thousand  of  them,  members  of  this 
church — have  died,  but  the  work  dies  not.  The  star  of  hope 
never  shined  more  brightly.  The  hastening  glory  of  the  com- 
ing kingdom  is  beyond  the  dawning,  it  climbs  toward  the 
zenith  of  its  consummation.  We  have  been  considering  the 
history  of  our  church,  but  we  are  a  part  of  a  great  whole. 
There  is  a  wider  sweep  of  historic  forces — there  is  the  univer- 
sal church  of  God.  And  although  our  Congregational 
churches  do  not  yet  number  their  membership  in  the  millions, 
we  do  take  pride  in  the  contributions  which  we  have  made  to 
the  past  and  in  that  which  we  are  williang  to  make  to  the 
more  glorious  future.  Our  freedom  of  worship,  our  liberty 
of  thought,  our  protest  against  any  hierarchy,  our  equality 
before  God — "  the  common  priesthood  of  believers  " — our  zeal 
for  the  Kingdom  of  Righteousness  and  Truth, — these  are  the 
truths  which  our  fathers  gave  us,  and  these  are  the  things 


which  we  would  bear  onward  to  the  church  of  Christ  univer- 
sal. "  For  yet  a  very  little  while  He  that  cometli  shall  come," 
and  in  that  triumphal  glory  we  shall  have  our  share,  while  to 
Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne  and  unto  the  Lamb  shall  be 
the  everlasting1  praise. 


COMMUNION. 

EEV.  W.  K.  HALL,  D.D. 

ST.  PAUL  said,  That  which  I  have  received  give  I  unto  you. 
On  the  same  night  in  which  our  Lord  was  betrayed  he  took 
bread  and  blessed  it.  In  imitation  of  our  Lord's  example  let 
us  look  now  for  the  Divine  blessing  upon  this  bread. 

ALMIGHTY  FATHER,  it  is  with  a  holy  joy  and  devout  thanksgiv- 
ing that  we  gather  around  the  table  of  our  Lord  to-day.  We 
are  thankful  for  the  past.  We  are  thankful  for  the  fathers' 
faith,  and  the  fathers'  love,  and  the  fathers'  service,  thankful 
to  Thee  for  their  consecration  to  Christ  and  to  His  service. 
We  are  conscious  to-day  of  receiving  not  simply  a  heritage  of 
circumstances,  a  heritage  of  knowledge,  a  heritage  of  truth 
from  them,  but  a  heritage  of  life,  a  life  that  was  fed  upon  the 
Christ  upon  whom  we  feed  to-day.  We  are  thankful,  our 
Heavenly  Father,  that  we  are  possessors  of  this  life,  that  has 
been  communicated  to  us  down  through  the  centuries,  and  we 
rejoice  to-day  in  the  same  truth  in  which  our  fathers  rejoiced ; 
and  to-day  we  are  having  the  same  comforts  and  the  same 
source  of  peace  and  strength,  and  the  same  inspiration  for 
high  purpose  and  earnest  work,  here  at  the  table  of  our  Lord. 
Amid  all  the  changes  of  the  changing  years  we  gather  around 
this  table  conscious  that  the  significance  of  the  symbol  that 
is  now  before  us  has  remained  unchanged ;  that  He  is  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever ;  that  the  cross  that  was  once 
up-lifted,  and  the  Christ,  who  once  gave  Himself  to  redeem  the 
world,  are  the  same,  and  so  upon  the  same  food  we  eat  to-day 
as  our  fathers  did.  And  grant,  and  grant  now,  we  pray  Thee, 

NOTE.— The  following  officiated  at  the  Communion  :  Deacons  E.  B.  Lacey,  J.  H.  Liuds- 
ley,  W.  Wells  Lewis,  E.  W.  Woodruff,  A.  L.  Winton,  A.  T.  Curtis,  and  C.  C.  Wells. 


43 


that  the  blessings  with  which  Thou  didst  bless  them,  the 
blessings  of  spiritual  strength,  the  blessings  of  hope,  of  life, 
of  comfort,  of  peace,  of  joy,  may  be  ours  to-day.  And  we 
would,  our  Father,  not  simply  look  back  upon  the  past  or  cast 
our  eye  down  the  future;  and  while  we  are  thankful  for  the 
past,  which  has  been  bequeathed  to  us,  with  all  its  rich  leg- 
acies and  ever-constant  power  for  good,  thankful  to  Thee  for 
the  presence  in  which  we  stand,  we  pray  for  blessings  upon 
the  children  and  the  children's  children  that  may  come  after 
us ;  that  the  light  here  may  continue  to  shine,  giving  forth 
no  uncertain  light,  and  that  this  table,  with  its  blessed  sig- 
nificance, may  continue  to  give  nourishment  and  strength  to 
those,  who  shall  come  after.  May  there  be  loyalty,  truth  and 
allegiance  to  Christ  and  love  for  Him.  And  may  we  hear  the 
voices  from  this  high  day  of  festivity  and  joy,  with  renewed 
purpose  to  serve  Thee,  with  renewed  consecration  prompted 
by  Thy  love  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
and,  denying  all  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  may  we  live 
righteous  and  godly  in  this  present  world,  looking  unto  the 
blessed  hope  and  glorious  appearing  of  our  great  God  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might 
redeem  us  from  all  iniquity  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works.  And  to  the  name  of  the 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  be  praise  forever.  Amen. 

And  when  our  Lord  had  blessed  the  bread  he  gave  it  unto 
his  disciples,  saying,  This  is  my  body  broken  for  you.  Take, 
eat.  This  do  in  remembrance  of  me. 

REV.  F.  S.  FITCH. — He  also  took  the  cup  and  gave  thanks. 

WE  thank  Thee,  our  dear  Father  in  Heaven,  for  Thy  love 
wherewith  Thou  has  loved  us,  and  for  all  these  efforts  which 
Thou  hast  been  making  for  our  salvation.  We  thank  Thee 
especially  for  the  gift  of  Thy  dear  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ,  through  whom  we  have  remission  of  sins  and 
newness  of  life  and  access  to  Thee.  We  beseech  Thee  that 
Thou  wilt  fill  our  hearts  with  gratitude  to  the  Holy  Spirit  for 
this  gift  of  our  Lord  ;  and  as  we  receive  this  fruit  of  the  vine, 
may  we  understand  Thy  measure  of  infinite  love ;  for  greater 


love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  clovvn  his  life  for 
his  friend.  May  we  be  able  to  discern  his  wounded  body,  his 
broken  life,  his  agony,  his  death :  Who,  though  he  was  no 
sinner,  stood  in  our  place  and  suffered  as  our  surety.  Help 
us  also,  our  Heavenly  Father,  to  have  a  due  sense  of  our  own 
unwortniness.  May  we  realize  that,  if  our  disease  was  so  fatal 
that  no  other  remedy  would  avail,  that  sin  must  be  a  great 
terror  to  our  souls.  May  we  understand  that,  without  the 
remission  of  blood  through  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 
there  is  no  salvation,  and  may  we  therefore  gladly  acknowl- 
edge our  indebtedness  to  Him  who  hath  made  this  costly  sac- 
rifice for  us.  "Wilt  Thou  set  apart  for  holy  uses  so  much  of 
this  fruit  of  the  vine  as  we  shall  drink,  that  it  shall  not  be  a 
type  of  the  world's  greatest  debauchery  and  sin,  but  that  it 
shall  be  a  type  to  us  of  the  vine  and  the  branches,  of  that  im- 
partation  of  life  which  strengthens  us  here  and  makes  immor- 
tality possible.  We  beseech  Thee  as  we  receive  this  cup  that 
we  may  receive  it  as  a  token  of  Thy  grace  and  to  the  honor  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  Amen. 


BENEDICTION. 

REV.  JOEL  S.  IVES. 

AND  now,  the  God  of  peace,  who  brought  again  from  the 
dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  the  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep, 
through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  make  you  per- 
fect in  every  good  work  to  do  His  will,  working  in  you  that 
which  is  well-pleasing  in  His  sight,  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord,  to  whom  be  the  glory  forever  and  ever.  Amen. 

Recess  for  collation  at  Town  Hall. 


COLLATION  TABLES  IN  TOWN  HALL. 


THE  DIVINE  BLESSING  WAS  INVOKED  BY 

KEY.  H.  A.  DAVENPORT. 

OUR  Father,  God :  we  want  Thy  blessing  at  this  family  table 
of  the  household  of  faith.  We  thank  Thee  for  the  brightness 
and  fellowship  of  this  day.  We  thank  Thee  for  Thy  favor  to 
us  in  spiritual  and  temporal  matters.  We,  therefore,  earnestly 
crave  thy  blessing,  that  Thou  wouldst  sanctify  these  comforts 
and  these  pleasures  and  this  sweet  Christian  communion.  Be 
gracious  to  us  this  hour,  we  pray  Thee,  and  accept  our  thanks, 
in  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 


AFTERNOON    SERVICE. 


PRAYER, 

REV.  GEORGE  W.  JUDSON. 

LET  us  pray. 

Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place,  O  Lord,  in  all  genera- 
tions. Before  the  mountains  were  made,  before  Thou  didst 
form  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting, Thou  art  God.  And  yet  we  rejoice  to  know  Thee  as 
our  Heavenly  Father,  and  we  rejoice  to  acknowledge  Thy 
presence  in  these  last  festivities,  and  in  these  joyful  memo- 
ries. Accept  then,  we  pray  Thee,  the  gratitude  and  the  thanks- 
giving of  our  hearts  for  all  the  mercies  and  blessings  which, 
in  all  the  days  that  have  gone  by,  Thou  hast  bestowed  upon 
this  ancient  church.  We  rejoice  in  the  character  of  Christian 
piety  and  fervent  enthusiasm  of  those  who  established  this 
church.  We  rejoice  in  the  work  which  was  done  by  all  those 
who  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  the  founders  of  this  church. 
We  rejoice  for  Christian  fathers  and  mothers.  We  rejoice  for 
Christian  homes.  We  rejoice  in  all  the  lives  of  beneficence 
and  influence  in  this  place  that  have  been  lived,  showing  forth 
not  the  glory  of  self,  but  the  glory  of  Christ.  We  do  thank 
Thee  for  the  children  which  have  gone  forth,  in  the  days  that 
have  gone,  from  the  maternal  roof,  in  the  midst  of  other  sur- 
roundings, continuing  the  good  work  which  they  were  per- 
mitted here  to  begin.  And  we  do  beseech  Thee  that,  as  child- 
ren and  the  children's  children  have  gathered  to-day  in  the 
old  home,  Thy  blessing  may  rest  upon  us ;  and  that  those,  who 
shall  bring  the  tributes  of  their  love  and  their  affection,  may 
be  able  to  give  adequate  expression  to  the  gratitude  and  love 
of  their  hearts.  Now  bless  us,  we  beseech  Thee,  in  the  especial 
services  of  this  afternoon.  Grant  that  the  welcome  home  may 
make  us  feel,  each  and  every  one  of  us,  at  home  in  our  fellow- 


ship  with  one  another,  and  in  our  communion  with  Thee,  our 
common  Lord.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  the  word  spoken 
unto  us  by  former  pastors  of  this  church  may  come  to  us  bring- 
ing to  our  minds  the  remembrance  of  services  which  they  were 
permitted  here  to  do  for  Thee,  and  may  the  remembrance  of 
these  services  add  impressiveness  and  power  to  the  words  of 
counsel  which  they  shall  bring  to  us,  and  as  those  churches, 
which  are  here  represented,  shall  bring  one  by  one  the  tidings 
and  the  messages  of  their  love  and  affection,  may  it  be  that  a 
tide  of  love  for  Thee  shall  fill  all  our  hearts,  for  Thee,  the 
giver  of  these  good  gifts,  for  Thee,  the  inspirer  of  all  this 
Christian  endeavor,  and  thus  may  it  be  that  the  services  of 
this  hour  shall  do  us  all  good,  shall  stimulate  and  quicken  us 
in  our  Christian  endeavors,  shall  inspire  us  in  all  that  we  have 
to  do  in  following  the  Master,  that  we  may  be  able  so  worthily 
to  serve  Thee  with  all  the  Israel  of  God,  that  not  only  Thy 
kingdom  shall  come  but  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  done 
in  heaven.  We  ask  it  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  and  Master. 
Amen. 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME, 

BY  THE  PASTOR. 

THE  grandmother  is  keeping  house  to-day;  and  she  finds 
herself  somewhat  in  the  position  of  that  mother  of  our  nursery 
rhymes,  who  had  so  many  children  that  she  didn't  know  what  to 
do !  But  we  are  here  to  give  you  a  most  hearty  welcome ; — you 
who  are  the  children  and  the  grandchildren  of  this  ancient 
church.  We  are  here  to  bid  you  most  hearty  welcome  who 
come  as  friends,  and  who  come  in  remembrance  of  the  ancestors 
who  have  lived  in  this  church.  We  bid  you  most  hearty  welcome. 
It  is  our  rejoicing  that  you  are  with  us  to-day.  We  are  glad 
because  the  years  have  rolled  around  till  this  anniversary  has 
been  reached,  and  in  this  joyous  occasion  we  can  thus  cele- 
brate our  Quarto-Millennium.  Yet  this  upon  the  programme 
which  you  read,  "Address  of  Welcome  by  the  Pastor,"  was 
put  on  simply  to  fill  up  and  make  the  programme  look  well. 
It  wasn't  intended  that  there  should  be  any  set  address.  We 


48 


are  rejoicing  that  two  of  the  former  pastors  of  this  church 
are  present  with  us,  and  it  devolves  upon  them  to  give  the 
greetings  to  these  children  and  grandchildren  who  are  with 
us  to-day.  We  are  glad  now  to  listen  to  Dr.  Hall. 


GREETINGS  TO  THE  CHILDREN  AND  GRAND- 
CHILDREN OF  THE  CHURCH, 

REV.  W.  K.  HALL,  D.D. 

I  SUPPOSE  it  was  the  intention  simply  to  fill  out  the  pro- 
gramme. It  is  so  short ! 

I  have  been  looking  at  these  panels  and  have  been  wonder- 
ing, my  dear  brother,  whether  it  was  for  to-day  you  have  had 
so  many  panels  put  in  this  church,  so  that  at  the  time  of  this 
celebration  there  would  be  just  so  many  churches'  names  to 
fill  in. 

MR.  IVES.  We  are  just  one  child  short  and  had  to  put  up 
that  flag. 

DR.  HALL.     You  haven't  heard  from  all  of  them. 

It  is  about  a  score  of  years  ago,  twenty  years  next  May,  if 
my  memory  serves  me  rightly,  this  dear  old  grandmother  was 
invited  to  participate  in  the  birthday  exercises  of  her  first- 
born child,  the  Woodbury  church ;  and  I  have  been  requested 
by  your  pastor  to  limit  my  words  to  greetings  to  the  Wood- 
bury  church  and  her  children.  As  I  read  that  request,  my 
mind  went  back  twenty  years  ago  to  the  lovely  feast  we  held 
up  among  the  hills  and  by  the  beautiful  river,  with  this 
bright,  beautiful,  fair  daughter  two  hundred  years  old  I  was 
then  a  young  man  just  entering  the  ministry,  and  I  was  called 
upon  to  represent  this  old  grandmother;  and  the  sentiment 
at  that  time  proposed  to  which  I  was  called  upon  to  respond 
was  this,  or  something  like  it:  "Venerable  mother:  Thou  that 
dwellest  by  the  sea,  called  in  thy  green  old  age  to  celebrate 
the  birthday  of  thy  first  daughter,  we  greet  thee  and  we  wel- 
come thee  to  this  fair  heritage  with  which  the  Lord  our  God 
hath  blessed  thee." 

That  is  pretty  good  for  the  memory  of  one  who  is  called 


49 


upon  to  represent  a  church  that  was  then  about  two  hundred 
years  old.  At  that  time  this  daughter,  and  the  children  and 
grandchildren  that  were  then  with  her,  in  the  course  of  the 
day's  festivities,  referred  to  the  time  which  would  not  be  far 
away.  It  seemed  to  me  then  to  be  very  far  away,  when  we 
would  assemble  beneath  the  old  homestead  roof  and  celebrate 
the  Two  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  the  mother's 
life.  The  years  have  gone  by,  dear  friends,  and  those  of  you 
who  were  with  us  at  Woodbury  perhaps  think  it  was  only  yes- 
terday we  had  the  lovely  pleasant  time  together.  How  heartily 
we  entered  into  the  rejoicings  of  that  day !  While  this  mother 
has  had,  I  think,  about  five  children,  this  daughter  has  had 
five,  and  a  granddaughter ;  so  that  she  is  not  simply  a  grand- 
mother but  a  great-grandmother;  for,  if  I  mistake  not,  the 
church  in  South  Britain  is  the  grand-child  of  the  church  in 
Woodbury.  Am  I  right? 

MR.  IVES.     I  don't  know,  sir. 

DR.  HALL.     I  thought  you  were  the  historian. 

MR.  IVES.     Not  of  that  church. 

DR.  HALL.  I  think  the  South  Britain  church  was  a  grand- 
child of  the  church  of  Woodbury.  If  so,  the  old  church  here 
is  a  great-grandmother  instead  of  a  grandmother.  We  greet 
and  welcome  you^  dear  child  of  Woodbury,  and  your  children 
and  your  grandchildren  to-day.  You  see  your  own  mother 
hale  and  hearty  as  ever.  There  is  no  sign  of  decrepitude  or 
decadence  about  her.  It  is  one  sad  thing  when  Ave  come  to 
visit  our  parents  in  declining  years  to  find  marks  that  make 
us  sad.  We  see  the  deep  furrows  in  the  face,  we  see  the  tot- 
tering step,  we  see  the  failing  faculties ;  and  it  is  sometimes 
far  more  saddening  than  joyous  to  see  an  old  parent  from 
whom  we  have  been  separated  perhaps  many  years.  But  not 
so  with  the  church  of  the  living  God.  If  she  is  fulfilling  her 
mission,  doing  the  work  that  God  has  assigned  her,  she  grows 
youthful  with  the  years ;  and,  though  the  years  wax  and  wane, 
she  seems  to  take  on  with  increasing  years  increased  vitality. 
And  so  to-day  this  old  church  of  Christ  presents  as  fresh  a 
life,  as  buoyant  a  heart,  as  sprightly  a  step,  as  any  of  her 
children,  And  as  you  draw  nearer  to  her,  and  receive  her 


50 


warm  congratulations  and  greetings  to-day,  beneath  the  old 
roof,  by  the  old  fireside,  the  daughters,  and  the  daughters' 
children,  there  come  the  evident  tokens  of  a  life  prosperous, 
strong  and  vigorous.  You  find  one  who  is  as  trite  to-day  to 
the  standards  of  the  faith  as  when,  two  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago,  the  few  gathered  together  to  sign  with  their  own  hands  the 
solemn  covenant.  Your  mother  has  never  desired  one  verse 
less  in  the  Bible.  She  has  never  abbreviated  her  creed,  nor 
has  she  shortened  the  commandments.  Faithful  to  truth: 
and  although  she  may  have  an  increase  of  knowledge  above 
that  of  the  fathers,  yet  still  she  looks  back  with  reverence  and 
with  devout  thanksgiving  to  the  grace  of  God  that  hath 
crowned  the  years,  and  looks  forward  with  bright,  keen  eye  to 
the  future,  believing  that,  as  long  as  yonder  river  flows  to  the 
sea,  and  as  long  as  yonder  waves  beat  upon  the  shore,  though 
the  old  town  of  Stratford,  with  its  historic  records  and  glories, 
may  be  engulfed  within  the  more  modern  but  prosperous,  busy 
city  of  Bridgeport,  that  is  continually  grasping  from  her  old 
reach  and  domain:  and  though  she  may  lose  possibly  in  the 
years  to  come,  her  very  name ;  yet,  while  this  church  of  Christ 
stands,  it  will  stand  by  the  truth  of  God,  it  will  stand  by  the 
old  symbols  the  fathers  have  handed  down  to  her,  faithful  to 
the  end.  And  so  she  bids  you,  children  and  grandchildren, 
as  you  leave  her  fold  to-day,  to  go  back  to  your  own  homes 
and  own  fire-sides,  to  take  back  with  you  the  spirit  of  vitality, 
that  you  breathe  in  anew  as  you  come  to  these  old  haunts  of 
your  youth,  of  the  years  long  gone  by.  But  I  remind  myself 
that  I  am  to  speak  but  five  minutes,  and  I  think  I  must  have 
spoken  five  minutes  and  a  half. 

MR.  IVES.  You  will  now  hear  a  response  from  the  oldest 
daughter. 

RESPONSE  from  the  First  Church  of  Woodbury, 

EEV.  J.  A.  FREEMAN. 

As  representing  this  daughter  to-day,  I  say,  Here  are  we 
and  those  whom  God  has  given  us.  We  do  rejoice  to  be 
present  with  you  to-day,  and  to  speak  this  word  of  congratu- 


lation.  I  think  perhaps  it  may  be  well  when  I  commence  to  let 
you  down  just  a  little:  we  have  been  going  up  pretty  well. 
But  the  element  of  brevity  comes  in  here,  and  this  saying  I 
have  heard:  "Be  learned  or  unlearned;  formal  or  informal, 
wise  or  unwise,  only  be  brief."  We  will  all  be  brief,  dear 
friends,  we  will  all  be  brief.  There  is  something,  however,  to 
say  that  I  think  is  very  important  now,  in  reference  to  the 
relation  this  daughter,  that  has  gone  out  from  Stratford,  has 
to  the  old  mother ;  and  it  seems  to  me  that  the  relation  is  not 
very  different  from  what  the  relation  between  the  mother  and 
her  children  always  is.  I  look  around  and  about  on  these  pan- 
els, and  I  see  these  different  names,  and  I  remember  many  years 
ago  the  oldest  daughter  going  out  from  home,  and  coming 
back,  after  the  years  were  past,  with  her  children.  We  come 
to-day  to  congratulate,  to  be  one  with  you.  AVhat  is  the  use 
of  it  all?  What  is  the  use  of  a  daughter  going  to  California, 
or  Washington  Territory,  or  Oregon,  or  any  of  those  places  ? 
What  is  the  use?  Why  are  not  the  daughters  and  all  the 
granddaughters  here  in  Stratford?  Why  haven't  they  lived 
here  through  the  years  up  to  the  present  moment  and  enjoyed 
the  society  of  mother  and  grandmother?  Why,  it  is  the  same 
old  story,  illustrated  by  us,  illustrated  by  the  grandchildren, 
illustrated  all  the  time,  the  eagle  stirring  up  the  nest  and  the 
young  being  turned  out  of  the  old  place  to  find  their  new 
homes  and  fulfill  their  destiny.  So  up  among  the  hills  two 
hundred  and  twenty  years  ago  almost,  the  daughter  went  for 
better  or  for  worse ;  and  the  hills  in  the  Pomperaug  valley 
now  see  a  change,  the  hills  feel  the  influence  of  the  separation 
that  came  two  hundred  years  and  more  ago.  They  feel  that 
influence  whether  Calvinist,  Presbyterians,  or  this,  that  and 
the  other,  what  the  difference  ?  It  is  God's  way,  it  is  God's 
way,  putting  down  his  hand  into  the  nest  and  stirring  up  the 
nest,  and  the  young  birds  go,  and  there  are  new  homes,  and 
you  see  the  results  of  it  all. 

Now,  there  is  one  thing  that  I  want  to  say,  to-day,  that  we 
can  boast  about  a  little  when  we  come  back.  These  children 
you  have  spoken  of  so  well — now  there  are  children  to  show 
for  themselves.  They  are  a  very  modest  people — • 


DR.  HALL.     They  get  that  from  the  grandmother. 

MR.  FREEMAN.  Yes,  they  get  it  from  the  grandmother. 
They  are  very  modest,  very  modest  indeed.  They  are  all  very 
modest,  especially  the  youngest  daughter ;  the  youngest  grand- 
daughter is  very  modest  indeed.  They  are  all  modest,  nice 
children;  they  are  all  nice  children,  all  clean,  all  do  just  right. 
We  have  brought  them  back  here.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in 
reference  to  what  you  have  said,  there  is  not  a  daughter, 
neither  of  these  daughters  I  believe,  certainly  not  this  one  and 
the  daughter  of  this  one  on  the  hills,  that  has  ever  let  down 
the  great  principle  of  the  mother  here  in  this  church,  not  one 
of  them ;  and  they  have  lived  there,  and  they  have  touched 
that  whole  region,  and  they  have  carried  the  principles  of  which 
we  have  heard  to-day  in  that  whole  region.  Daughter, — 
Woodbury  First  Church,  1670,  and  grandchildren,  with  their 
names  around  in  this  house  on  these  different  panels,  they  are 
not  ashamed  to  come  back  here,  to-day,  and  speak  of  what 
they  are,  as  related  to  the  mother  and  the  principles  they  have 
held  through  all  these  years. 

MR.  IVES.  Mr.  Hall  has  taken  the  Woodbury  Church  with 
the  children.  We  shall  now  hear  a  greeting  from  Mr.  Fitch 
to  the  rest  of  the  family. 

KEV.  F.  S.  FITCH.  I  remember  some  sixteen  years  ago  as  a 
theological  student  in  my  senior  year,  at  the  invitation  of  Mr. 
Sedgwick,  coming  over  here  to  spend  the  Sunday;  and  as  I 
walked  along  the  north  of  the  church  to  his  residence,  I  was 
very  much  delighted  with  its  external  appearance,  and  as  I 
passed  to  the  centre  of  the  street  I  was  charmed  with  the 
view  which  stretched  out  far  to  the  south;  and  the  village 
and  the  church  of  Stratford  has  looked  lovely  in  my  eyes  ever 
since.  I  have  been  absent  from  you  more  years  than  I  was 
with  you ;  and  yet  I  am  sure  I  can  say,  as  I  have  no  doubt 
Brother  Hall  can  say,  that  wre  have  never  lost  our  love  for  this 
church  or  its  members,  or  our  pride  in  its  inheritance.  My 
early  life  was  spent  in  Ohio,  and  my  early  student  days  in 
Oberlin,  in  the  early  days  of  anti-slavery  excitement.  And  my 
conception  of  religious  life  and  the  church  life  was  one,  in  which 


earnestness  and  fervor  were  the  essential  elements.  I  remem- 
ber while  in  New  Haven,  as  a  member  of  the  old  Center  Church, 
that,  with  a  young  man's  pharisaism, — I  suppose  it  must  have 
been, — I  was  some  little  time  in  discovering  very  much  piety 
in  the  Center  Church ;  and,  I  suppose,  had  I  known  this  church 
at  that  time,  I  should  have  been  equally  slow  to  discern  the 
hidings  of  its  strength.  But  my  acquaintance  with  the  First 
Church  in  New  Haven  and  my  acquaintance  with  this  church, 
following  the  Western  life  of  my  boyhood,  and  preceding  the 
Western  pastorates,  which  I  have  had  in  two  Western  cities, 
have  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  me.  They  have  given  me 
the  power  of  appreciating,  in  some  degree,  the  element  of 
time  in  church  life,  and  the  element  of  time  in  the  unfolding 
and  the  manifestation  of  personal  character ;  and  I  am  sure 
that  in  the  historic  lessons,  we  have  been  learning  in  the  last 
few  years,  both  in  our  church  life  and  national  life,  we  all  of 
us,  whether  members  of  these  historic  churches  or  members 
of  the  newer  churches  of  some  other  part  of  the  land,  are 
coming  to  appreciate,  as  we  never  did  before,  the  conservative 
and  preserving  power  of  these  ancient  churches.  There  are 
some  to-day,  who  question  the  place  of  the  church  of  Christ 
among  the  forces  of  modern  society,  who  call  our  attention  to 
the  press,  to  the  platform,  to  the  scientific  congress  and  to 
the  many  influences,  which  are  permeating  and  characterizing 
modern  life.  But  I  am  sure  that  to-day,  in  this  presence,  and 
crowded  and  pressed  as  we  are  with  the  memories  of  the  past, 
that  we  will  be  very  slow  to  admit  that  there  is  anything, 
which  God  in  his  goodness  has  given  this  nation,  which  is  of 
more  value  or  which  has  more  manifest  marks  of  his  approval 
and  affection  than  the  gift,  to  this  ancient  church,  of  his  Son. 
How  many  ministers,  how  many  missionaries,  how  many  Chris- 
tian workers  have  gone  out  from  the  circle  of  churches  which 
are  to-day  represented  in  this  maternal  home !  I  remember, 
when  I  was  called  upon  to  hear  words  of  greeting  from  Brother 
Palmer  and  all  the  rest,  the  day  of  my  ordination  in  this 
church,  sixteen  years  ago,  when  our  honored  and  beloved 
President  Dwight  preached  the  sermon,  and  when  Brother 
Palmer  gave  the  charge  to  the  pastor,  and  Brother  Davenport 


54 

the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  it  seems  to  me  a  vei-y  curious 
duty,  that  I  should  be  called  upon  to  give  any  words  of  greet- 
ing to  you,  for  it  seems  but  yesterday  when  you  laid  your 
hands  on  my  inexperienced  and  untried  head,  and  set  me  apart 
to  the  sacred  office  of  pastor  of  this  flock.  But  we  are  re- 
minded by  these  changes  and  by  these  differences  of  relation, 
that  we  are  all  brethren,  and  that  we  have  one  common  Head, 
even  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  as  years  and  experience 
come  to  me  I  rejoice  more  and  more  in  the  work  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministry,  and  I  trust  I  appreciate  with  some  measure  of 
earnestness  and  seriousness  the  value  of  these  churches  to 
this  Commonwealth,  and  to  our  great  Nation. 

Is  the  problem  of  the  hour  the  labor  problem?  Where  can 
we  find  any  satisfactory  solution  except  in  the  gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ?  Is  it  a  question  of  good  order  among  all 
the  diversified  classes  of  our  national  life  ?  Where  are  we  to 
find  any  fraternity,  any  abiding  love  except  that  which  comes 
from  the  brotherhood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ?  Is  it  a  question  of 
education?  The  church  has  not  only  been  the  mother  of  us 
all  but  our  teacher.  Yale  University  is  known  in  many  parts 
of  the  land  and  the  world,  where  these  New  England  village 
churches  are  not  known ;  but  we  come  here  and  the  historian 
tells  us  of  a  time,  which  antedated  the  birth  of  that  venerable 
university,  and  the  relation  of  these  pastors  and  this  people 
to  the  very  foundation  of  that  ancient  seat  of  learning.  And 
were  it  possible  for  us  to  trace  all  the  influences,  that  have 
centered  about  that  venerable  seat  of  learning  we  can  find  that 
very  much  of  it  had  come  from  the  choicest  life  of  the  churches 
of  our  order  in  this  Commonwealth.  It  is  a  National  Univer- 
sity; it  is  catholic  toward  all  sects;  it  is  hospitable  toward 
all  ideas ;  it  is  ready  for  any  new  truth ;  and  yet  the  source 
of  its  inspiration  and  the  warrant  of  its  being  was  the  spon- 
sorship given  by  these  early  churches.  I  welcome  all  the 
churches  that  have  been  mentioned  by  name  most  heartily  in 
the  name  of  this  mother  church ;  and,  as  one  by  one,  we  see 
your  faces  and  hear  your  voices,  we  will  join  in  the  universal 
Te  Deum  that  God  has  given  us  such  rich  memories  and  such 
a  worthy  parentage,  and  wherever  our  lot  may  be  cast  we  will 


r,r, 


try  to  be  true  to  the  churches  of  our  order  in  this  ancient 
Commonwealth. 

MR.  IVES.  Rev.  Mr.  Palmer  will  respond  in  behalf  of  the 
First  Church,  which  has  been  so  prolific  of  good  in  our  neigh- 
boring city. 

RESPONSE  from  the  First  Church,  Bridgeport, 

REV.  C.  R.  PALMER. 

The  relation  of  the  First  Church  of  Bridgeport  to  this 
ancient  church  in  Stratford  is  certainly  somewhat  peculiar. 
It  is  not  often  that  a  child  is  blessed  with  two  mothers ;  and 
yet  it  must  be  admitted  that  just  as  truly  as  the  Stratford 
church  is  the  mother  of  the  First  Church  of  Bridgeport,  the 
Fairfield  church  is  the  mother  of  the  First  Church  of  Bridge- 
port. But  we  have  this  to  remember  that  is  in  favor  of  the 
Stratford  Church.  When  a  movement  began  to  set  off  from 
the  Town  of  Stratford  a  few  members,  and  from  the  Town  of 
Fairfield  a  few  members,  to  be  incorporated  as  the  Stratfield 
Parish,  of  which  the  First  Church  in  Bridgeport  is  the  out- 
growth, our  Fairfield  mother  was  exceedingly  unwilling  to 
part  with  her  children.  The  tradition  is  that  she  thought  she 
should  miss  the  pew  taxes ;  and  she  went  so  far  as  to  resist, 
in  the  General  Court,  a  bill  to  incorporate  the  Parish  of  Strat- 
field for  two  or  three  years,  and  it  was  after  four  years,  if  I 
remember  aright,  that  her  opposition  was  overcome.  Now 
there  is  no  record  that  the  Stratford  mother  ever  showed  any 
reluctance  to  have  us  go.  Either,  there  were  some  people 
there  as  to  whom  she  felt  that  their  room  was  better  than 
their  company,  or  else  there  was  a  generous,  liberal  spirit  here 
in  Stratford,  that  said,  "Let  the  children  go,  let  them  set  up 
for  themselves,  we  shall  be  all  the  better  by-and-by  because 
they  do/'  Now,  as  there  is  no  record  that  the  first  alternative, 
which  I  mentioned  was  the  correct  one,  I  incline  to  believe 
the  latter  was  the  correct  one.  And,  standing  here  to  repre- 
sent that  ancient  Stratfield  church,  I  rejoice  and  give  thanks 
in  the  remembrance  that  the  mother  was  liberal  and  generous 
enough  to  let  us  go  with  her  blessing. 


Well,  sir,  a  good  many  years  have  passed  away.  Very  soon 
we  expect* to  celebrate  the  second  centennial  of  the  incorpora- 
tion of  that  church.  Things  are  moving  fast.  Perhaps,  by 
that  day,  this  will  be  the  North  Congregational  Church  of 
Bridgeport.  If  so,  the  mother  will  outrank  us  entirely,  and 
we  shall  have  to  bow,  whereas  now  we  boast  to  be  the  oldest 
church  in  Bridgeport.  We  rejoice  very  much  in  our  children, 
some  of  whom  have  grown  to  be  larger  than  ourselves,  but 
they  all  will  join,  I  am  sure,  in  welcoming  you  back  to  Bridge- 
port when  you  shall  come. 

Seriously,  sir,  I  have  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  with  the  re- 
marks which  my  Brother  Fitch  has  made.  A  church  of  Christ 
in  New  England,  with  its  ancient  foundation  and  its  centuries 
of  history,  is  a  splendid  record  if  you  can  appreciate  it.  It  is 
not  merely  what  you  see  when  you  come  into  this  town  of 
Stratford ;  it  is  not  merely  what  you  see  when  you  come  in 
and  look  at  the  First  Church  of  Bridgeport :  it  is  not  merely 
what  you  see  when  you  come  into  Milford  and  look  at  the 
First  Church  of  Milford,  which  measures  the  significance  of 
one  of  these  ancient  records.  Why,  sir,  what  fountains  of  in- 
fluence these  churches  have  been.  Four  or  five  weeks  ago  I 
was  preaching  out  in  Central  New  York  and  when  I  got 
through  and  came  down  out  of  the  pulpit,  a  lady  came  for- 
ward to  meet  me :  i4 1  want  to  speak  to  speak  to  you.  sir,"  she 
said.  "Very  well,  ma'am,"  I  rejoined,  "I  am  very  happy  to 
see  you."  She  said,  "  I  am  a  Stratford  woman,  and  I  couldn't 
see  a  Bridgeport  minister  in  this  pulpit  and  not  want  to  greet 
him."  In  how  many  communities  should  we  find  Stratford 
people — why,  they  are  scattered  the  country  over  and  every 
where,  I  dare  say,  as  in  that  instance,  they  represent  the  best 
elements  of  the  community.  So  it  is.  Why,  I  have  been 
pastor,  not  a  great  while,  but  long  enough  to  remember 
Brother  Hall  here  and  to  have  taken  part  in  Brother  Fitch's 
installation,  and  Brother  Dana's  and  Brother  Ives';  and  in 
my  own  church  the  people  have  scattered  from  it  the  country 
over  till  there  is  hardly  a  region  in  the  whole  nation  where  I 
can  not  put  my  finger  upon  some  one  and  another  and  say, 
there  is  one  that  has  gone  out  from  this  old  church  in  Bridge- 
port. 


6? 


Well,  sir,  there  is  a  peculiar  value  in  these  ancient  and  long 
continued  churches.  I  had  to  baptize  a  child  one  day  in  my 
church,  and  the  grandfather  said  to  me,  "  Well,  sir,  there  is 
the  beginning  of  the  ninth  generation  in  this  church."  Now, 
it  is  of  value  that  there  are  communities  where  there  are  con- 
tinuous lines  of  godly  family  history ;  of  families  trained  in 
the  fear  of  God,  in  the  love  of  liberty,  of  righteousness  and  of 
truth.  It  is  a  proud  record  that  this  church  has ;  it  is  a  proud 
record  that  all  these  ancient  New  England  churches  have, 
that  they  have  ministered  to  the  development  of  the  history 
of  this  nation  in  this  indirect  way  of  scattering  children  taught 
in  the  fear  of  God  and  the  love  of  right  and  truth  and  liberty 
all  over  this  broad  country. 

Once  more,  sir,  as  representing  the  First  Church  of  Bridge- 
port, we  hail  and  congratulate  our  Stratford  mother.  We  re- 
joice in  the  continuance  of  her  history  to  this  day.  We  re- 
joice in  her  prosperity.  This  morning  when  we  saw  the  cross 
purposes  between  the  choir  and  the  minister  about  the  hymn 
we  could  not  help  thinking,  a  good  deal  of  the  independent 
spirit  of  years  gone  by  is  with  her  yet.  Perhaps  it  is  just  as 
well ;  she  will  live  the  longer ! 

MR.  IVES.  You  remember  the  parable  of  the  sheep  that  was 
lost.  In  hunting  up  our  children  we  were  delighted  in  happen- 
ing upon  a  child  that  was  lost  off  on  the  Newtown  hills,  and 
we  greet  her  to-day. 

RESPONSE  from  the  Church  in  Newtown. 

REV.  J.  P.  HOYT. 

I  wish  to  take  half  a  moment,  of  the  five  minutes  assigned 
me,  in  relating  an  incident  very  briefly.  It  is  said  that,  in  a 
convention  or  gathering  similar  to  this,  the  pastor  of  the 
church,  in  offering  the  introductory  prayer,  forgot  for  the 
moment  there  was  more  than  one  speaker,  and  so  invoked  the 
divine  blessing  upon  the  speaker  of  the  afternoon.  Then,  re- 
membering that  there  was  another,  he  offered  a  petition  for 
him,  but,  just  as  he  was  closing,  he  remembered  that  there 
was  another  still,  and  more  to  follow,  and  so  he  said  in  his 


158 

closing  words,  "and  may  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  the  third 
speaker  and  those  who  are  to  follow  him,  and  all  those  who 
are  to  listen  to  him.''  I  cannot  but  think  that  my  brother, 
the  pastor  of  this  church,  is  offering  this  prayer  mentally,  and 
I  am  very  glad  that  I  am  not  the  nineteenth  speaker,  to  whom 
you  will  listen  after  a  few  moments  have  passed. 

But  in  regard  to  this  lost  sheep,  to  whom  the  pastor  has 
referred,  I  am  very  glad  to  come  to  you  to-day  and  say,  the 
lost  is  found,  and  we  are  glad  to  be  here  and  join  in  these 
greetings.  But  we  deny  that  we  were  ever  lost !  We  think 
the  mistake  is  with  the  pastor  of  this  church,  as  I  can  prove 
to  you  out  of  his  own  mouth,  or  rather,  from  his  own  pen ;  for, 
in  writing  to  me  on  this  subject,  he  said,  we  welcome  you  as  a 
child;  although,  until  I  investigated  the  matter,  I  was  in 
utter  ignorance  that  we  had  a  child  upon  the  Newtown  hills. 
Well,  my  friends,  the  fact  is  that  this  ancient  church  of  Strat- 
ford is  like  the  Queen  of  England  in  one  respect,  she  has  many 
daughters  most  happily  settled  in  life ;  and  there  are  so  many 
of  them  that  I  suppose  she  sometimes  forgets  their  names  and 
forgets  where  they  are  and  how  they  are.  For  example,  there 
is  the  church  in  Bridgeport  from  whom  we  have  just  heard. 
She  is  the  Princess  Eoyal  of  the  Royal  Family,  and  has  an 
empire  of  her  own  by  the  sea,  and  right  gi'andly  does  she 
hold  it  and  sway  it. 

Then  there  is  the  Woodbury  church  who  may  be  compared 
to  the  Princess  of  Lome,  if  I  may  use  that  name.  She  has 
wandered  up  towards  Canada,  far  away  from  the  mother 
church.  But  she  does  not  dwell  there  'lorn  and  lone,  but  she 
is  in  a  vast  Congregational  berry  field,  Waterbury,  Roxbury, 
Middlebury,  Southbury,  etc.,  etc.  These  are  only  specimens 
of  the  beautiful,  bounteous,  glorious  fruits  which  the  branches 
of  this  mother  church  have  borne  as  they  have  run  over  the 
walls.  Now,  I  am  here  to-day  to  represent  before  you  the 
third  daughter  of  this  ancient  church,  who  has  stayed  nearer 
the  homestead  and  who  has  always  been  consociated  with  her 
mother  and  this  family  of  churches ;  and  we,  who  form  this 
Consociation  of  Fail-field  East,  gather  around  our  mother  to 
day,  and  we  ask  her  blessing;  and  all  her  children  rise  up  and 


59 


bless  her.  We  are  proud  of  our  parentage;  and,  as  we  united 
to-day  in  singing  the  hymn,  "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,"  our 
hearts,  as  well  as  our  voices,  rendered  blessing  unto  the  Great 
Head  of  the  church  for  thus  binding  us  closely  and  lovingly 
together. 

But  there  are  some  special  ties  which  unite  us  to  this 
mother  church,  to  which  I  may  briefly  allude,  though  the  time 
is  so  brief  I  can  only  outline  them.  The  first  tie  is  in  the 
name  Newtown  itself.  There  is  a  tradition,  (and  this  has  be- 
come the  certainty  of  a  fact  in  my  mind  as  I  have  investigated 
it,)  that  Newtown  was  called  Newtown  in  order  to  distinguish 
her  from  the  old  town  of  Stratford,  from  which  she  was  set 
off.  So  we  are  in  Newtown :  you  are  in  Old-town ;  and  all 
the  characters  which  Mrs.  Beecher  Stowe  has  rendered  famous 
and  illustrious  in  her  "  Oldtown  Folks  "  live  here  in  Stratford 
without  doubt.  Then  again,  the  early  settlers  of  Newtown 
came  from  Stratford.  The  Hawleys  who  founded  Hawleyville 
came  from  this  place,  and  they  gave  their  name  to  that  future 
city.  There  was  a  family  named  Clark  who  came  from  this 
place,  and  one  of  the  descendants  of  that  family  told  me  only 
this  week  that  her  ancestor,  who  originally  came  from  Strat- 
ford, feeling  the  need  of  help  in  clearing  away  the  wild  land 
of  Newtown,  came  back  to  Stratford ;  and  what  do  you  think 
he  did?  He  bought  a  slave  here  in  Stratford,  a  negro  boy 
eight  years  old,  paying  eight  pounds  for  him,  a  pound  for 
every  year  of  his  life;  carried  him  to  Newtown,  and,  when 
there  was  a  declaration  of  independence,  as  far  as  slavery  was 
concerned,  in  this  Commonwealth,  gave  him  his  freedom ;  but 
the  noble  colored  brother  said,  "You  have  cared  for  me  in  my 
boyhood,  I  will  care  for  you  in  your  old  age ;"  and  he  remained 
with  him  till  the  day  of  his  death.  Then  there  was  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Jeremiah  Turner,  who  came  from  Stratford  to 
Newtown ;  and  it  is  recorded  on  a  mcnument  in  one  of  the  old 
cemeteries,  that  he  was  the  father  of  the  first  male  child  born 
in  Newtown.  It  is  also  recorded  in  the  Town  Records,  I 
think,  that  he  returned  to  Stratford  for  a  wife.  This  Jeremiah 
Turner  returned,  so  he  was  a  re-Turner  to  the  old  Town  of 
Stratford,  and  I  venture  to  say  that  there  were  no  "  lamenta- 


tions ''  of  that  Jeremiah  over  his  choice ;  and  from  that  day 
to  this  Newtown  people  have  been  marrying  Stratford  people. 
The  daughter  of  our  senior  deacon  married  a  Stratford  brother, 
and  he  is  now  deacon  in  the  Newtown  church.  So  you  will 
see  how  we  are  tied  together  by  these  memories  of  the  past 
as  well  as  of  the  present. 

But  the  most  interesting  tie,  and  I  allude  to  this  in  closing, 
Mr.  Mother,  is  this :  that  the  most  successful  pastor  the 
church  in  Newtown  ever  had  was  a  native  of  Stratford,  Kev. 
David  Judson,  born,  as  I  have  been  told  since  I  came  here  to- 
day, near  the  foot  of  your  Academy  Hill.  He  had  a  pastorate 
of  one-third  of  a  century  in  Newtown.  and  was  loved  when 
there  and  in  all  the  churches  of  this  region.  He  was  a  revo- 
lutionary soldier  or  chaplain,  and  died  in  the  war,  and  his 
grave  is  with  us,  in  the  Newtown  cemetery  to  this  day ;  and  a 
beautiful  and  suggestive  fact  connected  with  it  is,  that,  out  of 
the  very  heart  of  the  grave,  there  is  growing  an  evergreen 
tree,  keeping  alive,  in  the  memory  of  his  successors  and  those 
who  have  taken  up  the  work  after  him,  the  memory  of  that 
good  and  godly  man,  Kev.  David  Judson,  of  Stratford.  With 
these  memories  in  my  mind,  wishing  I  could  say  more,  but  lim- 
iting myself  to  this,  Newtown,  with  her  fertile  farms,  with  her 
manufactures,  with  her  four  different  railroads,  soon  to  be- 
come five,  with  her  hundreds  of  industrious  citizens,  we  come 
back  to  our  mother  to-day,  and  extend  to  her  our  greet- 
ings and  congratulations ;  and  we  say,  giving  it  a  meaning 
more  true  and  deep  and  tender  than  the  Englishman  can  when 
they  sing  that  song,  "  God  save  the  Queen," — the  Queen 
mother  of  all  these  churches.  And  we  reverently  add,  God 
save  the  churches  themselves,  and  all  the  members  of  these 
churches,  and  bring  us  all  home  at  last  to  the  great  family 
gathering  in  the  palace  of  the  great  King. 

MB.  IVES.  Before  singing  the  1309th  Hymn,  I  desire  to  say 
that  there  were  no  ''  cross  purposes,"  as  Brother  Palmer  sug- 
gested, but  only  an  earnest  desire  on  the  part  of  the  choir 
leader  to  follow  out  my  wishes  and  make  the  services  as  brief 
as  possible.  We  will  now  hear  the  response  from  the  church 


(51 


in  Huntington.     AVill  those  who  are  to  respond  from  Trum- 
bull  and  Monroe  please  come  forward  so  as  to  have  no  delay. 

KESPONSE  from  the  Church  in  Huntington, 

EEV.  A.  J.  PARK. 

VENEKABLE  MOTHER  :  We  come  to  you  to-day  with  greeting, 
realizing  how  precious  is  this  thought  of  coming  home  to  our 
mother.  The  affection  and  love  of  children  to  mothers  is  that 
which  can  be  realized  only  in  the  heart.  It  can  never  be  told. 
And  we  come,  dear  mother,  as  a  child  already  one  hundred 
and  sixty-five  years  old  last  February,  not  so  very  youthful, 
and  yet  vigorous  and  strong.  In  bringing  you  greetings  it 
seemed  to  me  that  perhaps  a  bit  of  history  of  that  little 
church  away  up  there,  that  was  called  Ripton  parish  once, — 
now  Huntington, — might  be  profitable.  In  1724  the  mother 
went  up  there  and  performed  the  nuptial  vows  that  made  a 
new  church  with  a  pastor  who  began  a  ministry  among  those 
hills  and  forty-eight  years  labored  there  alone,  (in  the  forty- 
ninth  year  of  his  ministry  they  called  an  associate,)  and  living 
for  three  years  longer,  completed  about  fifty-two  years  of  pas- 
torate. Dr.  Ely,  who  was  called  as  an  associate  of  Jeremiah 
Mills,  was  forty-three  years  there  as  a  pastor.  Unfortunately, 
somehow  the  records  of  Brother  Mills  pastorate  have  nearly  all 
been  lost.  Only  a  mere  sketch  of  the  organization  of  the  church 
is  to  be  found ;  no  record  of  the  number  of  members  that  were 
added  to  the  church  during  his  ministry,  nor  those  that  were 
baptized.  From  the  time  that  Dr.  Ely  came  into  the  church, 
the  records  appear  very  correctly,  and  we  have  received  from 
that  time,  with  those  who  were  at  the  organization  of  the 
church,  something  over  three  hundred  and  thirty,  making  an 
average  of  five  and  a-half  annually  gathered  into  the  church. 
Dr.  Ely,  when  he  became  pastor,  adopted  the  special  part  of 
the  Covenant  which  reads  as  follows  :  "  That  you  will  endeavor 
by  the  strength  of  God  to  walk  in  all  his  commandments  and 
ordinances  blameless,  desiring  to  put  yourselves  under  the 
watch  and  care  of  this  church,  to  be  trained  up  in  the  school 
of  Christ  for  His  Heavenly  Kingdom,  promising  also  that  you 
will  give  up  your  children  to  God  in  baptism  and  to  bring 


62 


them  up  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  A  little  part  of  that  I  have 
never  seen  in  any  Covenant  before.  As  a  result  of  this  you 
may  see  in  the  records  of  Dr.  Ely,  baptized  in  the  church  in 
forty-three  years,  eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  a  yearly  aver- 
age of  twenty ;  thus  bringing  before  us  a  thought  that  it  seems 
to  me  we  need  to  go  back  to,  realizing  our  Covenant  relation- 
ship with  God,  realizing  our  obligation  as  Christian  parents 
to  our  children,  inheritors  with  us  of  the  blessings  and  priv- 
ileges of  the  gospel.  This  part  of  the  Covenant  seems  to  have 
been  left  out  at  the  end  of  his  ministry,  but  during  the  next 
twenty-eight  years  the  yearly  average  was  six  and  a-seventh, 
and  during  the  last  forty-five  years  only  two  and  a-half.  So 
we  see  how  the  gradual  diminishing  of  the  thought  of  this 
covenant  relation  of  parents  with  their  children  has  grown  up 
among  the  people.  The  largest  membership  of  the  church 
was  in  the  year  1833,  when  the  number  reached  two  hundred 
and  three.  During  the  last  forty-five  years  there  have  been 
ten  preachers.  I  believe  only  two  of  them  have  been  installed, 
their  time  of  labor  ranging  from  a  year  and  a-half  to  six  years 
and  a-half,  so  you  see  while  the  time  has  been  about  equal  to 
that  of  Dr.  Ely,  ten  ministers  have  occupied  the  pulpit,  and 
the  results  have  been  only  partially  what  they  were  during 
his,  in  regard  to  the  receiving  and  baptizing  of  children,  and, 
also,  to  the  membership  of  the  church. 

Now,  as  we  have  only  this  moment,  let  us  pray  that  God 
will  bless  and  prosper,  not  only  the  mother  but  the  children 
in  all  that  which  tends  to  build  up  and  to  establish  the  faith 
of  the  saints.  Praying  that  God  may  bless  and  cheer  and 
comfort  you  in  this  your  age,  we  greet  you  with  our  richest 
blessing. 

MR.  IVES.     Mr.  H.  L.  Fail-child  for  the  church  in  Unity. 
RESPONSE  from  the  Church  in  Trumbull, 

H.  L.  FAIRCHILD. 

MR.  MOTHER:  I  would  be  glad  to  be  consigned  in  accor- 
dance with  your  mother  goose  insinuation,  but  our  church  has 
grown  altogether  too  old  for  any  such  consignment.  To  your 


kindly  greetings  and  hearty  welcome  we  respond  to-day  with 
the  heartiest  thanks  ;  and  it  seems,  as  we  come  before  you  on 
such  a  memorable  family  gathering,  that  it  is  entirely  proper 
that  the  daughter  should  tell  some  of  her  experiences;  and  I 
was  reminded  by  your  suggestion  in  regard  to  the  main  chance 
at  the  dinner  of  an  incident  which  occurred  a  few  years  before 
our  church  was  organized,  at  about  the  time  of  the  early  set- 
tlement. Then  there  was  a  great  snow.  Cotton  Mather  tells 
us  of  it  in  his  "Magualia."  It  was  about  the  year  1717,  and,  if 
the  accounts  are  at  all  correct,  it  completely  distances  the 
blizzard  of  a  year  and  a-half  ago.  The  people  in  Stratford 
became  solicitous  in  regard  to  the  stock  of  provision  in  the 
outlying  settlements;  so  a  party  went  out,  dug  their  way 
through  up  into  our  region,  and  found  a  house  very  nearly 
covered  with  snow,  the  chimney  barely  peeping  out.  They 
found  their  way  inside,  and,  instead  of  a  shortness,  the  people 
there  were  just  sitting  down  to  a  dinner  of  roast  wild  turkey, 
and  they  with  great  benevolence  joined  the  circle  and  helped 
demolish  the  turkey.  I  think,  Mr.  Mother,  that  we  have  to- 
day paid  off  the  score,  if  not  before ! 

Our  first  minister,  the  Rev.  Bichardson  Minor,  settled,  as 
you  see,  in  1730,  was  a  man  of  ceremonious,  formal,  methodical 
habits,  and,  as  might  naturally  be  expected,  after  a  successful 
ministry  of  fourteen  years,  he  joined  the  more  prosperous 
ministry  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and,  in  doing  so,  you  have 
referred  to  his  giving  you  much  trouble.  He  gave  us  still 
more,  for  our  church  was  practically  demoralized  and  dis- 
heartened, and  it  took  us  four  years  more  to  recuperate  and 
start  again.  Then  followed  the  ministry  of  Rev.  James  Beebe, 
a  man  in  singular  contrast  to  his  pedecessor,  being  active,  vig- 
orous, and  independent.  His  independence,  perhaps,  was 
shown  in  his  treatment  of  church  counsels;  for,  while  he 
was  warm-hearted  in  his  fellowship  with  all  the  neighboring 
churches,  he  would  brook  nothing  like  authority.  His  own 
church  was  independent  in  that  respect.  His  courage  was 
manifest  during  the  French  war,  for,  after  several  seasons  of 
disheartening  disaster,  he  aroused  his  people  and  enlisted 
them  for  the  war,  and  went  with  them  himself  in  the  succes- 


64 


ful  campaign  which  permanently  checked  the  French  power. 
Likewise  again,  in  the  darkest  days  of  the  Revolution,  he  went 
with  the  army  for  six  months  at  Valley  Forge ;  and  perhaps 
in  nothing  was  his  independence  more  clearly  shown  than  in 
his  complete  disdain  of  English  orthography,  for  in  looking 
over  his  record  in  his  marching  list  may  be  found  on  a  single 
page  the  word  "March"  spelled  in  eight  different  ways.  His 
pastorate  lasted  for  thirty-eight  years.  The  next  longest  pas- 
torate is  that  of  the  Rev.  N.  T.  Merwin,  about  twenty-five  years, 
too  recent  for  me  to  speak  of,  further  than  to  say  his  evident 
aim  was  to  live  ';  Wise  as  a  serpent  and  harmless  as  a  dove." 
These  three  pastorates  cover  very  nearly  half  of  our  life  as  a 
chnrch. 

We  have  had  many  good  deacons  of  the  genuine  New  Eng- 
land sort,  one  of  whom  said  one  day  to  a  neighbor  that  he 
considered  his  office  worth  to  him,  in  the  way  of  business,  $50 
a  year.  It  is  also  said  of  one  of  our  deacons  that  he  held  the 
office  for  over  fifty  years,'aud  was  present  at  every  communion, 
and  during  all  the  years  of  his  active  service  only  failed  once 
to  officiate.  On  that  occasion,  on  his  way  to  the  meeting,  on 
horseback,  he  was  thrown  from  his  horse  and  broke  his  collar- 
bone. He  sat  through  the  morning  service,  and  then  was 
obliged  to  retire  to  have  the  bone  adjusted.  An  aged  St. 
Louis  lad}',  long  since  dead,  told  me  the  story;  and,  although 
sainted,  I  am  almost  afraid  to  call  her  aged!  Another  widow, 
almost  ninety  years  of  age,  among  us,  was  one  day  asked  by  a 
younger  relative  how  old  she  was.  "A  very  improper  ques- 
tion," was  the  reply,  "under  the  circumstances  a  very  im- 
proper question,  indeed."  A  good  Christian  and  charitable 
brother  among  us  one  Fast  Day  morning  was  approached  by 
a  neighbor  pleading  illness,  and  he  sold  him  a  glass  of  spirits. 
That  day,  on  his  way  to  meeting,  he  found  the  young  men  and 
boys  playing  the  national  game  of  ball  on  the  Green.  In  holy 
indignation  he  remonstrated,  but  in  vain.  Then  he  proceeded 
to  take  down  their  names  for  prosecution,  but,  being  re- 
minded of  the  sale  of  cider  in  the  morning,  he  saw  the  situa- 
tion, and  so  charitably  forebore  to  prosecute ! 

We  have   through   all   these  years   fairly  maintained   our 


65 

strength,  although  our  town  has  increased  but  litt'e  in  popu- 
lation, and  although  many  other  churches  have  come  in ;  yet 
our  numbers  are  to-day  greater  than  at  any  time  in  our  past 
history;  and  we  come  here  joyfully  to  congratulate  you  on 
your  illustrious  history  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  We 
congratulate  you  on  the  number  of  colonies  which  you  have 
sent  out  as  churches  to  be  influences  for  good.  We  congrat- 
ulate you  on  the  individuals  who  have  gone  out  from  you  to 
almost  every  part  of  the  world  to  maintain  the  standard  of 
right,  and  we  especially  congratulate  you  for  the  tide  which 
is  rolling  in'  upon  you  from  the  west,  which,  like  a  new  ele- 
ment to  reinvigorate,  is  like  the  notorious  elixir ;  for  we  be- 
lieve, with  others  that  have  spoken  here  to-day,  that  a  church 
has  no  right  to  grow  old,  much  less  to  die,  so  long  as  there 
are  souls  to  save;  and  the  best  wish  that  we  can  extend  to 
you  to  day  is  that  responsibility  may  so  come  in  upon  you 
that  by  exercise  you  shall  maintain  a  manly,  useful  strength, 
a  radiant,  maidenly,  Christian  loveliness,  to  win  souls  to  Christ. 

MR.  IVES.  You  will  next  hear  frbm  New  Stratford,  Deacon 
W.  Well  Lewis.  I  hope  Deacon  Lewis  will  take  the  platform, 
otherwise  it  is  almost  impossible  for  those  in  the  galleries  to 
hear.  It  is  of  no  nse  to  speak  if  you  cannot  make  yourself 
heard. 

RESPONSE  from  the  Church  in"  Monroe, 

DEACON  W.  WELLS  LEWIS. 

IT  would  be  very  natural  for  any  person  in  this  house,  after 
hearing  such  kindly  words  of  welcome,  after  listening  to  so 
many  words  of  greeting,  and  after  hearing  so  much  that  is 
calculated  to  benefit  and  instruct,  to  be  able  to  say  something. 
I  am  here  to-day,  and  the  thought  that  suggested  itself  to  me 
as  I  came  down  here  was :  "I  am  coming  home,  coming  home." 
Now,  the  sound  of  my  voice  never  before  was  heard  within 
these  walls,  yet  I  am  one  of  your  number,  I  am  one  of  your 
household,  I  am  one  of  your  family.  I  am  here  to-day  to  hold 
out  to  you  friendly  greetings.  I  am  here  to-day  to  enter  into 
your  sympathies.  I  am  here  to-day  to  be  one  among  you. 


A  long  period  of  years  ago,  this  church  put  forth  its 
branches,  and  many  branches  of  righteousness  have  grown  up 
and  become  transplanted  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  above. 
The  thought  suggested  itself  to  me:  Suppose  that  all  the 
members  of  this  household,  suppose  that  all  this  company 
should  be  gathered  together  and  should  rise  up  to  you  to-day, 
how  large  a  church  would  we  need  in  order  to  accommodate 
you  ?  A  very  large  structure  would  certainly  be  needed.  In 
the  little  town  of  Monroe  our  church  is  not  large,  our  mem- 
bers are  few :  yet  we  have  those  there,  that  are  praying  men. 
We  have  praying  men,  praying  women.  There  are  those  there 
who  live  daily  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  Saviour's  love.  There 
are  those  who  live  in  constant,  daily  communion  with  their 
God.  They  are  fully  satisfied  that  in  order  to  reach  Christian 
manhood  and  womanhood  they  have  got  to  seek  for  it,  they 
have  got  to  work  for  it.  We  have  an  active  minister,  a  min- 
ister that  is  not  satisfied  with  theory  alone,  but  theory  and 
practice  must  go  hand  in  hand.  I  am  exceedingly  sorry  that 
he  could  not  be  here  to-day  to  respond  to  this  call.  We  have 
in  the  little  town  of  Monroe  a  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor 
which  is  doing  a  mighty  work.  It  is  doing  a  powerful  work, 
more  perhaps  than  any  other  young  people's  organization  we 
have  ever  had  there.  Taking  it  altogether,  although  our  num- 
bers are  few,  we  say  in  the  language  of  David,  "  If  God  be 
for  us  who  can  be  against  us  ?"  And  now,  this  gathering  here 
to-day  is  a  joyous  one,  it  is  a  glorious  one,  it  is  one  that  will 
be  remembered  a  long  time.  Will  it  not,  my  brethren,  be  re- 
membered till  that  glorious  gathering  when  all  these  grand- 
children, when  all  these  great-grandchildren,  when  all  these 
sons  and  daughters,  that  have  grown  up  as  the  branches  of 
the  spiritual  vine  shall  stand  up  triumphant  together  in  the 
streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem?  I  am  here  to-day  to  hold  out 
to  you  the  right-hand  of  Christian  fellowship.  I  am  here  to 
mingle  my  voice  with  your  voices,  and  also  to  receive  the  ben- 
ediction of  the  mother.  Finally,  friends,  when  this  mighty 
work  shall  be  accomplished ;  when  we  shall  go  away,  as  we 
soon  shall  to  our  homes,  we  shall  separate  one  from  another, 
and  we  shall  have  formed  acquaintances  here  that  will  never 


67 

be  forgotten ;  and  when  we  come  to  meet  each  other  this 
gathering  will  be  spoken  of.  Reminiscences  will  be  brought 
up.  The  kindly  feelings  entertained  here,  the  new  acquaint- 
ances that  we  have  formed  here,  will  be  held  up  there;  but 
this  will  not  be  the  end  of  it.  Eternity,  Eternity  itself  will 
only  disclose  the  glorious  reality  of  this  home  gathering. 

Singing,  Hymn  written  for  the  occasion,  by  the  pastor. 
[See  page  11.] 

MR.  IVES.  We  will  now  hear  a  response  from  the  church  in 
Southbury  by  the  Rev.  David  C.  Pierce. 

RESPONSE  from  the  Church  in  Southbury, 

REV.  DAVID  C.  PIERCE. 

THE  grandchild  of  Southbury  cordially  responds  to  your 
kind  greeting ;  and  we  will  say  that,  although  you  have  traces 
of  antiquity  about  you,  we  would  scarcely  know  it,  and  we 
rejoice  that  there  is  no  decadence  in  strength.  We  rejoice  to 
be  with  you  and  all  the  children  and  grandchildren  that  have 
gathered  together  here  upon  this  happy  occasion ;  and  although 
we  stand  here  before  you  representing  a  grandchild  of  this 
ancient  church,  yet  we  feel  that  in  a  certain  sense  we  also  have  a 
little  of  antiquity  about  us.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  years  since  the  church  was  first  started  to  preach  the  Word 
of  God  in  Southbury.  Branching  oft'  from  the  First  Church 
of  Woodbury,  they  erected  a  church  in  the  beautiful  valley  of 
Pomperaug,  and  we  feel  particularly  proud  that  we  may  say 
that  the  first  pastor  of  that  church,  the  Rev.  John  Graham, 
was  a  descendant  of  the  Marquis  of  Montrose,  who  labored 
there  some  thirty-three  years,  and  was  a  most  efficient  and 
worthy  laborer  in  the  Church  of  Christ.  To  show  you  some 
of  the  disadvantages,  when  we  started,  although  they  began 
service  immediately  after  he  was  settled,  yet  it  was  some  three 
years  before  the  church  was  finished,  and  for  those  three  year?, 
during  the  greater  portion  of  the  time,  they  worshipped  with 
only  a  part  of  a  floor  laid ;  the  windows  were  not  in  place  and 
a'  large  portion  of  the  building  unplastered.  At  that  time 


68 

they  had  no  means  of  warming  the  church  except  such  little 
means  as  were  provided  by  foot-stoves,  the  ladies  brought  to 
church.  Now,  we  should  think  it  hard,  indeed,  to  worship 
among  the  inclemency  of  our  New  England  winters  in  the 
structures  of  those  times  and  have  no  better  warmth  than  one 
fireplace.  The  Rev.  John  Graham  lived  there  until  feebleness 
and  sickness  coming  on,  put  a  close  to  his  labors,  but  he  re- 
mained some  eight  years  longer  till  he  died.  His  remains  now 
rest  in  the  North  Cemetery  in  our  village.  After  him  came 
Benjamin  Wildman,  who  labored  some  forty-seven  years  in 
that  church,  a  man  noted  for  his  wit  and  the  aptness  of  his  re- 
plies. It  was  during  his  ministry,  in  the  year  1772,  that  the 
second  church  was  erected.  The  first  building  was  used  as  a 
place  of  worship  some  forty  years.  After  him  came  a  succes- 
sion of  laborers  in  the  field,  among  them  the  Eev.  Elias  Wood, 
who  labored  some  three  years,  who  was  followed  by  the  Rev. 
Daniel  Clark,  who  labored  three  years  longer ;  and  during  the 
nest  seven  years  there  was  no  settled  minister,  but  they  were 
supplied  by  three  or  four  laborers  in  the  service.  After  this 
came  the  Rev.  Thomas  Shipman,  father  of  Judge  Shipman, 
who  was  with  them  ten  years,  and  was  a  most  efficient  laborer, 
and  during  the  period  of  his  ministry  there  was  a  large  revival 
and  many  were  received  into  the  church.  There  was  one  item 
I  forgot  to  mention  when  I  was  speaking  of  the  first  minister, 
the  Rev.  John  Graham,  showing  the  efficiency  of  his  labors, 
that  during  the  period  of  his  ministry  over  three  hundred  mem- 
bers were  received  into  the  church,  and  over  eight  hundred 
children  were  baptized.  Thus  we  feel  that  we  can  show  a 
record  concerning  the  former  laborers  in  this  branch  of  the 
Lord's  heritage  that  shows  that  we  had  earnest  men  in  the 
days  of  old;  and  although  we,  like  our  grandmother,  show 
something  of  the  signs  of  decadence,  as  you  know  that  many 
of  the  New  England  villages  are  not  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
but  population  is  being  drawn  off  toward  the  centers  of  trade 
and  commerce;  yet  we  trust  we  have  something  of  the  spirit 
of  God  in  us,  and  we  can  cordially  respond  to  the  greeting 
upon  this  occasion  and  desire  that  all  the  children  and  grand- 
children who  are  represented  here  to-day  may  unite  together, 


with  this  ancient  church,  in  ascribing  praise  unto  God  who 
hath  wrought  thus  far  in  his  work  amongst  us,  and  that  we 
may  be  counted  as  worthy  laborers  as  well  as  the  fathers  of 
old,  in  carrying  forward  this  good  work ;  and  with  that  view 
in  mind  the  church  which  I  represent  sends  to  you  this  senti- 
ment :  In  memory  of  our  venerable  forefathers  who  were  so 
earnest  in  the  cause  of  God :  May  we  imitate  their  virtues  and 
may  we  strive  to  follow  in  their  footsteps,  ever  bearing  in  mind, 
their  memory  with  tender  emotions. 

MR.  IVES.  We  will  now  hear  from  Dr.  Bellamy  on  the  hills 
of  Bethlehem  by  the  mouth  of  the  beloved  John — my  class- 
mate, the  Kev.  John  P.  Trowbridge. 

RESPONSE  from  the  Church  in  Bethlehem, 

REV.  J.  P.  TROWBRIDGE. 

BELOVED  BROTHER:  Fifteen  years  ago  last  Spring  we  went 
out  together  from  our  studies  in  a  Theological  Seminary,  and 
now,  to-day,  we  meet,  you  to  represent  an  aged  and  superb 
grandmother,  and  I  to  represent  a  curly-headed  grandchild. 
And  in  meeting  thus  together  upon  this  happy  commemorative 
occasion,  our  minds  have  of  course  those  feelings  natural  to 
class-mates  who  sojourned  together  and  studied  together  for 
three  years,  natural  to  those  who  at  the  same  time  or  nearly 
at  the  same  time  began  the  Christian  ministry,  natural  to  those 
who  have  in  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry  been  endeavor- 
ing to  present  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ.  Many  of  you  re- 
member that  Mr.  Longfellow,  near  the  close  of  his  life,  when 
he  was  called  upon  to  participate  in  exercises  of  deep  interest 
to  himself  and  to  the  college  of  which  he  was  a  graduate,  be- 
gan, that  beautiful  poem,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
his  writings,  by  citing  the  custom  of  the  Roman  Gladiator, 
saying,  "We,  who  are  about  to  die,  salute  you."  And  I  have 
thought,  as  I  have  anticipated  this  pleasant  meeting  with  the 
ancient  church  of  Stratford,  that  if  in  those  ancient  days  of 
Rome,  amid  the  pageants  and  surroundings  where  they  were 
placed,  they  could  look  up  at  their  great  rulers  and  say,  as  they 
were  about  to  enter  into  a  contest  like  that  which  we  are  enter- 


70 


ing  into,  against  principalities  and  powers  in  the  high  places 
of  the  earth,  "We,  who  are  about  to  die,  salute  you,"  certainly 
their  brethren  and  friends  in  the  Christian  ministry,  we  who 
have  not  died,  we  who  are  representatives  of  the  ancient  church 
of  New  England,  who  cannot  expect  to  die,  may  certainly  with 
great  gratitude  and  joy  salute  this  ancient  church,  its  pastor, 
its  membership,  it  daughters  and  its  granddaughters.  We 
come  here  to-day,  amid  these  favorable  influences  and  bright 
surroundings.  We  greet  one  another  as  a  common  family. 
Our  names  are  all  on  a  common  line,  none  of  them  being  ele- 
vated above  the  other,  all  standing  together  in  a  common  place 
representing  upon  a  common  platform  the  unity  and  the  brother- 
hood that  wre  enjoy.  We  are  grateful  for  the  memories  of  the 
past,  grateful  for  the  truth  that  has  been  proclaimed,  as  it  has 
been  represented  in  the  discourse  this  morning  from  the  min- 
istry of  this  ancient  church,  to  uphold  the  gospel  in  its  purity 
and  power.  Every  one  of  these  churches  has  pecular  memories. 
The  church  in  Bethlehem  has  a  peculiar  tribute  of  gratitude  to 
bring  to  lay  upon  the  altar  here  of  her  grandmother's  affection 
and  household  care.  Turn  back  to  the  early  history  of  the 
church  in  the  east  part  of  the  north  purchase,  now  called  Wood- 
bury,  and  you  find  that  Dr.  Bellamy  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  gospel  when,  I  think,  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  the 
year  1736,  by  the  Fairfield  East  Association  of  ministers,  with 
which  the  pastors  of  this  church,  I  doubt  not,  have  been  gen- 
erally associated,  and  in  1754,  when  great  events  in  the  life  of 
Dr.  Bellamy  occurred,  and  he  was  so  earnestly  called  to  go  to 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  New  York  and  there  labor 
and  spend  the  most  fruitful  years  of  his  life,  he  laid  the  mat- 
ter, that  was  so  weighty  upon  his  mind,  that  he  could  not 
decide  at  first,  before  the  Consociation  of  Litchfiekl  County ; 
and  after  they  had  deliberated  sufficiently  in  regard  to  it,  not 
being  able  to  come  to  a  decision,  they  called  to  their  fellow- 
ship, and  for  mutual  consideration,  the  Fairfield  East  Conso- 
ciation, with  which  this  church  has  been  connected.  So  you 
see,  friends,  that  his  early  Christian  life  work  was  at  Bethle- 
hem, where  the  best  years  of  his  life  were  spent,  and  where  it 
is  a  providence  of  God  that  he  was  permitted  to  live,  for  if  he 


71 


bad  gone  to  New  York,  whence  lie  was  called  with  such  earnest- 
ness, at  the  time  he  was  called,  and  had  spent  in  that  metrop- 
olis the  best  years  of  his  life,  during  the  confusion  of  the  Rev- 
olutionary War  it  is  very  doubtful,  if  he  ever  would  have  given 
to  the  church  of  New  England  the  body  of  divinity  that  he 
composed,  and  have  exerted  the  influence  he  did  as  a  theolog- 
ical teacher  in  the  early  history  of  New  England.  So  I  do  not 
exceed  the  bounds  of  the  truth  and  the  proper  expression  of 
it  when  I  say  we  are  deeply  obligated,  not  simply  in  Bethlehem, 
but  all  the  churches  of  Connecticut,  for  the  influences  that  the 
church  of  Stratford  and  the  consociated  churches  in  the  Fair- 
field  East  Consociation  exerted  upon  the  mind  of  Dr.  Bellamy, 
that  kept  him  within  our  limits ;  and  that  enabled  him  to  live 
and  devote  his  time  to  that  work  that  has  made  him  pre-eminent 
in  our  Commonwealth  as  a  writer,  as  a  theological  thinker,  as 
a  teacher  in  the  chair  of  Theology.  I  bless  God  to-day  that  I 
am  permitted  to  bring  to  you  the  congratulations  of  the  church 
of  which  he  was  the  first  minister,  over  which  for  fifty  years 
he  was  the  faithful  pastor,  and  from  which  his  spirit  speaks 
to-day. 

MR.  IVES.  You  will  listen  now  to  the  greeting  from  the 
church  in  Washington,  another  granddaughter,  by  Deacon  E. 
W.  Woodruff. 

RESPONSE  from  the  Church  in  Washington, 

DEACON  E.  W.  WOODRUFF. 

WELL,  Grandmother,  I  bring  to  you  Mr.  Turner's  best  and 
sincere  regrets  that  he  cannot  be  here  to-day  to  greet  you, 
therefore  I  come  in  his  place.  You  will  not  let  me  tell  what 
we  have  done  up  there,  I  can't  with  that  five  minute  sword 
hanging  over  my  head;  but  I  will  tell  you  what  we  have  got, 
and  I  bet  you  can't  guess.  What  do  you  guess?  We  have 
got  a  Swedish  baby.  It  was  born  the  first  Sacramental  season 
in  May,  1889.  The  way  of  it  is  this.  Up  in  our  farming 
country  towns,  years  ago  and  now,  all  the  brightest  and  best 
boys  and  girls  go  off  to  the  city  and  out  West,  where  they  can 
get  knowledge  and  make  money  a  great  deal  better  than  they 


72 


can  here,  and  leave  us  poor  sticks  at  home ;  and.  what  is  father 
and  mother  to  do  ?  They  had  before  called  in  Pat  and  Bridget, 
from  the  land  of  the  Celt,  but  we  up  there  in  Judea  think  we 
know  a  thing  or  two,  and  we  called  in  Gustavus  and  Lena  from 
the  land  of  the  Swedes.  The  Swedes  brought  the  Bible  with 
them  and  wanted  to  worship  God  in  their  own  language.  They 
had  their  minister  come ;  they  built  a  hall,  or  started  to  build 
one ;  and  we  chipped  in  and  helped  them.  They  wanted  to 
form  a  church.  Well,  Yankee  ingenuity  came  in  and  we  said, 
here,  suppose  you  come  and  join  our  church,  meet  down  hi  the 
hall  and  worship  in  your  own  language';  but  you  shall  belong 
to  our  church  and  be  a  branch.  Very  well,  so  on  that  Sab- 
bath there  were  over  thirty  that  joined  our  church.  Our  arti- 
cles of  faith  and  covenant  were  translated  into  Swedish  and 
the  Swedish  minister  read  them  to  the  communicants  and  the 
communion  service  was  administered  in  both  Swedish  and 
English.  Well,  now,  what  was  all  this  for?  These  Swedish 
children  come  to  our  church,  come  to  our  school.  But  this  is 
only  temporary,  remember,  and  soon  the  clannish  Swede  will 
be  supplanted  with  the  millennial  English.  And  when  you 
sent  us  up  into  the  hills,  full  of  Yandee  sagacity,  of  foresight 
and  hindsight,  we  were  looking  ahead.  Up  in  these  New  Eng- 
land hills,  Congregational  churches  are,  many  of  them,  re- 
duced so  low  they  are  not  able  to  starve  one  man.  but  have  to 
do  it  two  together,  to  do  it  decently,  to  starve  one  minister ! 
We  do  not  expect  any  such  thing  is  going  to  arrive  there.  Our 
little  baby  is  growing  very  fast.  There  is  about  fifty  of  her 
now.  The  last  communion  season  -there  was  about  fifteen  more 
of  her  admitted.  You  see  the  point.  We  have  city  people 
there  to  be  sure,  but  they  come  and  go.  Blessings  on  them 
while  they  stay!  But  then  comes  the  cold  Winter, — what  are 
you  going  to  do?  We  don't  want  to  go  into  holes  like  wood- 
chucks  and  hibernate ;  and  as  we  get  old  and  totter  by  the 
fireplace,  in  comes  this  buxom  Swedish  lass  and  makes  things 
sweet,  and,  God  bless  her,  she  is  a  source  of  help  and  com- 
fort to  us.  This  we  call  "the  Judea  patent  process  of  pre- 
serving the  churches."  In  three  years  more  we  shall  be  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  old.  Well,  may  I  say  one  word  or 


71* 


two?  We  have  done  something  up  011  that  old  hill.  We  have 
had  some  high  old  fights  in  the  abolition  times  and  temper- 
ance times,  plenty  of  them ;  but  we  had  good  old  "  Stratford 
grit,"  and  we  always  won  in  the  end.  We  raised  a  school 
teacher  there,  who  was  a  Gunn,  and  he  shot  new  ideas  into 
the  system  of  education ;  and  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  learn 
men  how  to  train  that  animal,  the  crudest  curiosity  on  God's 
earth,  a  boy,  through  what  Henry  Ward  Beecher  said  was  the 
"Hell  gate"  he  had  to  pass  through,  twelve  to  sixteen  years 
old.  He  who  had  set  forward  progress  in  that  line  of  educa- 
tion lies  buried  on  our  hill.  We  say  that  a  church  and  town 
are  one  in  New  England,  and  you  cannot  separate  them,  that 
is  impossible.  We  sent  our  Senator  Platt  who  lived  there 
until  after  his  majority,  and  who  worthily  represents  us  in  the 
halls  of  Congress — but  I  must  not  linger — only  we  wish  you 
would  come  up  and  see  us.  If  you  will  come  up  and  make  us 
a  real  good  visit  this  Fall,  some  day,  we  will  give  you  plenty 
of  pumpkin  pies  and  apple  sauce ;  and  if  you  will  bring  your 
cap  and  stay  over  Sunday  we  will  let  you  go  dowrn  and  see  the 
baby.  Well,  I  am  delegated  to  give  to  you  our  Christian 
greeting,  our  heartiest  Christian  greeting  and  congratulations, 
and  happy  to  find  you  in  such  a  green  old  age.  And  we  pray 
that  you  may  live,  not  only  through  a  green  old  age,  but  a 
thousand  years,  and  not  only  a  thousand  years,  but  to  the  time 
when  the  apocalyptic  angel  shall  stand  with  one  foot  on  sea 
and  one  on  land  and  declare  that  time  shall  be  no  more. 

ME.  IVES.  I  am  reminded  by  this  that  we  ought  perhaps  to 
have  included  another  church,  that  we  could  have  put  in  the 
place  of  that  blank  panel,  our  Scandinavian  Church  in  Bridge- 
port, and  if  there  has  been  any  oversight  in  this  regard  I  will 
make  free  acknowledgment  at  this  time. 

Is  there  any  one  present  to  represent  the  church  in  Rox- 
bury?  No  name  has  been  given  to  us.  I  will  take  but  a  mo- 
ment to  say,  that  during  my  first  year  in  the  Seminary  I  was 
sent  up  to  Roxbury  to  preach.  It  was  my  first  output  from 
the  Seminary.  I  took  with  me  the  only  two  sermons  I  owned, 
and  I  preached  them  and  came  home! 


74 

We  will  now  listen  to  a  response  from  the  church  in  South 
Britain  by  Brother  John  Pierce. 

EESPONSE  from  the  Church  in  South  Britain, 

MR.  JOHN  PIEIIOE. 

IN  behalf  of  the  great-great-grandchildren  of  South  Britain 
we  are  here  to  thank  you  for  the  courtesy  and  kindness 
extended  to  us.  I  might  say  South  Britain  is  a  little  village 
situated  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  New  Haven  county, 
bounded  on  the  west  by  the  ancient  Pootatuck,  or  present 
Housatonic  river.  Our  ancestors  came  from  this  neighborhood 
and  the  adjoining  town  of  Milford,  up  the  valley  of  the  Hous- 
atonic, thence  to  the  valley  of  the  Pomperaug  and  Shepaug, 
into  the  town  of  Woodbury,  and  then  returned  southerly  in 
this  direction,  forming  the  town  of  Southbury,  and  latterly  the 
parish  of  South  Britain,  a  portion  of  the  town  of  Southbury. 
Our  church,  as  you  wilt  see,  was  organized  in  the  year  1763, 
splitting  off  from  the  church  in  Southbury,  representing,  that 
the  high  hills  between  were  such  an  impediment  that  it  was 
difficult  for  them  to  attend  that  church.  They  petitioned  the 
General  Assembly  for  a  site,  and  after  some  debate  and  oppo- 
sition they  were  organized  into  a  church  by  themselves.  The 
name  of  the  place,  as  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  was  origi- 
nated in  this  way:  South,  lying  south  of  Woodbury;  and 
Britain,  because  the  inhabitants  were  loyal  subjects  to  the 
English  Crown,  a  fact  which  caused  them  great  inconvenience 
during  the  war  of  the  ^Revolution.  Perhaps  it  is  not  well  to 
say  this,  but  facts  are  facts.  A  portion  of  my  ancestors  came 
from  this  direction,  the  town  of  Wethersfield  and  Glaston- 
bury.  Our  early  ancestors  were  most  anxious  to  form  a  church. 
They  were  anxious  to  serve  their  Maker  according  to  the  best 
of  their  abilities.  In  order  to  show  you  the  rigidness  with 
which  they  wished  God's  commands  to  be  obeyed,  I  will  read 
to  you  a  writ  that  has  been  in  the  possession  of  my  family  ever 
since  its  original  draft,  issued  for  Sabbath  breaking : 

"To  John  Pierce,  Esq.,  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Litchfield 
"  County,  comes  David  Pierce  and  Kobert  Edmonds,  Grand 


75 


"  Jurymen  for  our  Loid  the  King  in  said  County,  and  by  reason 
"of  their  office,  oath,  complaint  and  presentment  make  of  and 
"against  Stephen  Squire,  of  Woodbury,  with  County  aforesaid, 
"  for  that  he  the  said  Stephen  Squires  did  on  the  9th  of  May, 
"  A.  D.  1773,  being  Sabbath  or  Lord's  day,  he  the  sakid  Stephen 
"  being  in  good  health  refused  and  neglected  to  attend  on  any 
"  publick  worship  in  any  meeting  or  congregation  in  said  Town 
"  or  elsewhere,  but  did  wilfully  Absent  himself  therefrom  by 
"  gajly  staying  at  home  Without  any  work  of  Necessity  or 
"  Mercy  Obliging  him  thereto  which  is  contrary  to  our  statute 
"  law  of  the  Colony  Entitled  an  act  for  the  due  observance  and 
"  keeping  of  the  Sabbath  or  Lord's  day,  and  to  the  bad  Exam- 
"  pie  of  his  Majestie's  good  Subjects,  and  prays  a  writ  of  our 
"  Lord,  the  King,  may  go  forth  against  the  said  Stephen  and 
"  he  be  dealt  with  as  the  law  directs. 

"  Dated  at  Woodbury  the  19th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1773. 
"  DAVID  PIERCE,     EGBERT  EDMOND, 

"  Grand  Jury-Men." 

I  have  good  evidence  that  the  said  Stephen  was  prosecuted 
as  the  law  directed  and  punished  for  the  offense.  The  idea 
seemed  to  be  in  those  days  that  a  church  could  be  supported 
after  the  people  had  acquired  a  certain  amount  of  wealth. 
The  Society  of  South  Britain  represented  to  the  General  Court 
that  they  had  a  taxable  property  amounting  to  one  thousand, 
two  hundred  pounds;  and  the  first  minister,  Jehu  Miner,  was 
awarded  a  settlement  of  two  hundred  pounds,  and  an  annual 
salary  of  seventy  pounds  a  year.  This  was  a  very  nice  thing 
for  a  young  clergyman,  who  had  possibly  spent  the  larger 
part  of  his  money  in  getting  his  education;  and  the  idea  of 
taxing  the  society  fell  with  us  into  innocuous  desuetude  about 
the  year  1830.  About  the  year  1803,  when  a  tax  was  laid  upon 
the  society  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  many,  an  old  farmer 
turned  out  to  the  tax  collector  a  large  black  bear  which  he 
had  brought  from  Minnesinks,  New  York  State,  with  his  Bible ; 
the  bear  and  Bible  were  sold  at  the  post,  and  the  money  used 
to  .pay  the  society  tax.  That  is  a  fact. 

The   next   minister  after  Jehu   Miner  was   Rev.   Matthew 


76 

Cazier,  a  man  of  French  extraction,  of  strong  Calvinistic  prin- 
ciples. It  was  said,  I  don't  know  how  true  it  is,  that  he  used  to 
chastise  his  son  almost  every  day  in  the  week  for  fear  that  he 
might  disregard  the  text,  "  He  that  spares  the  rod  will  spoil 
the  child.". 

The  next  minister  of  eminence  was  the  Rev.  Bennett  Tyler 
whom  many  of  you  brethren  will  remember,  who  attained  great 
eminence  in  his  profession,  one  of  the  greatest  theologians  of 
the  State  in  his  day  and  time.  Of  the  fourteen  ministers  who 
have  officiated  in  our  parish,  I  believe  all  have  been  men  of 
God,  and  all  have  striven  sincerely  and  earnestly  to  worship 
Him  and  lead  their  flocks  according  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 


CHURCH  DECORATIONS.      (LOOKING  EAST.) 

MR.  IVES.     We  will  now  hear  a  response  from  the  North 
Church  of  Woodbury,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wyckoff. 

RESPONSE  from  the  North  Church  of  Woodbury, 

REV.  J.  L.  R.  WYCKOFF. 
I  REPRESENT,  SIR,  the  third  generation  of  a  race  of  ministers, 


77 


and  I  can  remember,  when  a  child  in  my  mother's  home,  many 
gatherings  of  ministers  around  the  table,  and  I  have  a  very 
distinct  recollection  of  being  compelled  to  wait  when  the  min- 
isters were  visiting  at  our  home ;  and  my  chief  anxiety  was, 
when  they  were  eating,  whether  anything  would  be  left  when 
they  got  through,  for  you  know  those  religious  eaters.  We 
had  the  evidence  of  that  to-day ;  and  I  confess  it  was  a  matter 
of  considerable  anxiety  to  me,  while  sitting  in  the  pew  over 
there,  whether  or  not  there  would  be  anything  left  when  those 
who  preceded  me  got  through  in  the  way  of  refreshment  this 
afternoon. 

I  see  that  I  am  not  recognized  here  in  this  home,  and  it  may 
be  necessary  for  me  to  make  a  word  of  explanation.  The 
thing  to  do  here  to-day  is  in  some  way  or  another  to  connect 
yourself  with  Stratford.  I  have  wondered  how  I  could  do  it. 
My  grandfather  was  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  the  old  school. 
My  father  was  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  the  new  school. 
They  left  me  on  the  fence.  I  jumped  down  between,  and  the 
good  people  of  North  Woodbury,  seeing  I  was  a  stranger,  took 
me  in.  They  took  me  in,  for  when  they  had  once  received  me, 
they  administered  to  me  this  oath :  No  man  shall  preach  the 
gospel  in  this  church  except  the  man  who  preaches  the  pure 
doctrines  of  the  gospel  commonly  known  as  Calvanistic,  or  as 
contained  in  the  Shorter  Catechism  of  the  Westminster  As- 
sembly. I  said  they  took  me  in — with  my  consent,  of  course. 
I  want  to  say  in  regard  to  your  grandchild  to-day,  the  first 
thing  and  the  most  important  thing  in  regard  to  her*  church 
life,  she  has  held  fast  to  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints. 
It  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  ever  been  privileged  to  look 
into  the  face  of  Grandmother  Stratford.  I  wonder,  if  she  had 
the  faith  to  deliver  to-day,  if  she  would  deliver  it  as  unalloyed, 
as  in  those  days, — as  pure  and  simple.  The  time  came  when 
the  little  swallow  had  to  be  crowded  off  the  eaves,  and  she 
flew  away  and  found  herself  a  nest,  a  very  pleasant  one  and 
commodious,  capable  of  accommodating  from  five  to  seven 
hundred  little  nestlings.  She  has  pushed  on  in  the  presence 
of  misfortune  until  to-day  she  outnumbers  on  her  list  her 
mother,  in  the  way  of  communicants ;  and  she  has  pushed  up 


78 


until  she  reaches  almost  your  own  record  of  church  member- 
ship, seventy-three  years  of  church  life,  seventy-three  years  of 
faithful  witnessing  to  the  truth  and  holding  fast  to  the  faith 
as  it  is  Jesus.  It  is  a  pleasant  thing  for  us  to  come  back  to-day, 
and  make  a  report  as  to  the  way  in  which  we  have  served  the 
Master  and  held  to  the  faith.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  be  put  into 
the  line  of  spiritual  descent,  to  have  the  hand  of  a  pious  ances- 
tor extended  with  benediction  over  one's  life.  Descent  is 
important,  but  ascent  is  better.  We  thank  God  for  what  has 
been  transmitted  to  us,  for  the  prayers  that  have  been  answered 
with  respect  to  our  church  life,  and  for  the  sympathy  that  has 
been  extended  to  us,  although  we  have  not  seen  your  face  for 
all  these  seventy-three  years.  It  seems  a  little  strange  that 
we  should  come  here  to-day  and  protest  our  affection,  when 
we  have  never  as  yet  exchanged  a  visit ;  but  it  seems  equally 
strange  that  this  our  grandmother  should  be  so  ignorant  with 
reference  to  our  name.  I  presume  there  is  not  a  member  of 
my  church  who  would  recognize  the  name  on  that  panel,  not 
one,  Woodbury  Second.  It  is  North  Woodbury,  and,  just  as 
the  brother  has  intimated,  these  inscriptions  are  all  on  the 
same  level.  We  don't  recognize  either  first  or  second.  It  is 
Woodbury  South,  or  South  Woodbury,  and  Woodbury  North, 
or  North  Woodbury.  The  saints  are  one,  as  they  have  one 
faith,  one  Lord,  one  baptism. 

It  will  not  do  for  me  to  trespass  on  this  brother's  patience. 
I  heard  him  say  over  in  the  aisle,  unless  I  misunderstood  him, 
to  J3roth*er  Hovey,  "  The  man  who  exceeds  five  minutes  will 
be  imprisoned."  I  want  to  keep  my  liberty.  I  was  born  free, 
and  I  want  to  preserve  it.  I  will  simply  close  by  saying  to 
you  that  all  the  saints  in  North  Woodbury  greet  you,  and  re- 
quest me  to  salute  you.  with  a  holy  kiss ;  and  they  unite  with 
me  in  the  most  earnest  and  fervent  prayer  that  God  may  bless 
you  and  keep  you  and  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon  you  and 
be  gracious  unto  you. 

MR.  IVES.  We  are  now  getting  down  toward  the  children 
of  a  younger  growth,  and  the  Kev.  R.  G.  S.  McNeille,  will  re- 
spond for  the  Second  Church  in  Bridgeport. 


79 

RESPONSE  from  the  South  Church  in  Bridgeport, 

REV.  R.  G.  S.  NCNEILLE. 

MR.  MODERATOR  AND  BRETHREN  OF  THE  STRATFORD  CHURCH: 
When  Father  Tom  Burke,  the  Priest,  was  pleading  in  England 
the  cause  of  Ireland,  he  laid  great  emphasis,  in  connection 
with  his  eloquent  appeals,  upon  the  fact  that  he  himself  was 
an  Irishman.  The  next  day  the  English  Historian,  Mr.  Froude, 
in  a  public  address,  called  Father  Tom  to  account  and  said  he 
ought  not  to  boast  of  being  an  Irishman,  because  the  name 
Burke  was  a  Norman  name.  But  Father  Tom,  upon  a  subse- 
quent occasion,  said  that  Mr.  Froude  had  claimed  that  Burke 
was  a  Norman  name,  and,  said  he,  Mr.  Froude  is  correct, 
although  the  name  has  rested  upon  the  old  sod  for  four  hund- 
red years ;  but,  perhaps,  Mr.  Froude  does  not  know  that  my 
mother  was  a  Callihan,  though  every  body  knows  that  Calli- 
han  is  an  Irish  name,  and  that  the  boys  take  after  their  mother. 
As  I  have  met  here  so  pleasantly  the  representatives  of  these 
churches  in  these  felicitously  arranged  exercises,  I  congratu- 
late you,  first  of  all,  that  the  descendants  of  this  ancient  and 
honored  church  follow  the  general  rule  and  alike  take  after 
their  mother.  They  are  marked  with  the  imprint  of  her  face. 
They  still  hold,  the  very  faith  received  through  her  at  the 
first;  not  the  faith  of  the  Westminster  Catechism,  however 
excellent:  not  the  faith  of  John  Calvin,  however  profound; 
not  the  faith  of  John  Wesley,  however  stimulating;  these 
influences,  fall  into  the  second  place,  but  the  one  faith  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord  and  our  Redeemer,  held  under 
whatever  system  of  doctrine  and  under  whatever  subordinate 
human  name  you  please,  the  faith  that  makes  our  hearts  glow 
and  brings  us  into  love  and  sympathy  with  his  divine  way  of 
life,  of  glory  and  of  salvation. 

Meanwhile,  I  do  not  forget  to  express  a  deep  sympathy  with 
the  idea  that  has  been  so  often  averted  to  here,  the  value  in 
church  life  of  historical  continuity,  and  I  am  glad  now  at  length 
to  attend  a  celebration  of  one  of  the  original  Puritan  Churches, 
which  commemorates  in  to-day's  anniversary  an  appreciable 
portion  of  a  millennial  of  history.  And  while  it  is  true  that 


80 


we  who  are  Congregational  claim,  even  from  the  earliest  Church 
in  Jerusalem,  a  continuity  of  principle  in  regard  to  faith  and 
practice ;  yet  in  these  last  days,  it  is  felicitous  for  us  to  feel 
that  here  we  are  gaining  in  respect  of  that  outward  continuity, 
which  is  historically  associated  with  common  institutions  long 
preserved  and  handed  down.  I  feel  now,  at  length,  that  our 
Congregationalism  begins  to  assume  the  type  of  some  of  those 
great  European  cathedrals,  dating  back  in  the  origin  of  their 
continuous  growth  and  erection  to  earlier  centuries,  but  added 
to  in  every  succeeding  century  by  the  contributions  of  an  ever 
fresh,  an  ever  growing  and  an  ever  potent  piety.  I  greet  you, 
therefore,  first  of  all  from  our  church,  because  we  have  so 
much  in  common,  we  have  our  histories  in  common;  we  have 
our  Christian  life  from  a  common  source  and  we  have  in  com- 
mon the  spirit  which  energizes  a  pure  New  Testament  faith. 
I  think  that  we  of  the  Second  Church  in  Bridgeport  rejoice 
also  that  we  may  bring  you  greetings  because  of  the  perpe- 
tuity of  the  Union  of  those  Churches — a  union  in  organization, 
and  in  fellowship — which  has  arisen  from  these  old  centers  of 
New  England  life  and  theology,  I  remember  that  011  one 
occasion  a  youthful  student  in  the  Seminary  spoke  to  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Bacon  of  the  Congregational  Churches  as  being  a  rope  of 
sand.  "Yes,"  said  Dr.  Bacon,  "you  see  the  sand,  I  see  the 
rope."  And  I  have  often  thought  that  our  Churches  are  as 
jewels  prepared  for  a  crown,  separate  in  their  integrity,  in 
their  beauty  and  in  their  individual  value,  but  joined  together 
as  some  of  the  royal  jewels  are  often  joined,  by  a  filligree  of 
gold  almost  invisible,  a  true  and  golden  bond  so  that  the  joints 
do  not  appear.  I  congratulate  you,  therefore,  upon  the  unity 
of  our  Churches,  a  unity  which,  however  slight  it  may  seem, 
is  sufficiently  strong,  as  seen  to-day,  for  sympathy  and  work 
during  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  which  are  past  and 
gone. 

I  congratulate  you,  last  of  all,  on  the  continued  individuality 
of  the  Churches.  I  am  glad  to  hear  from  such  a  one,  as  the 
brother  who  preceeded  me,  his  staunch  allegiance  and  the 
staunch  allegiance  of  his  Church  to  an  ancient  and  noble  creed. 
I  am  glad  to  hear  from  all  of  our  Churches  concerning  that 


81 


Avhich,  while  they  are  Congregational  and  united,  makes  thern 
individual  also  in  the  freedom  of  their  growth,  in  the  activity 
of  their  life  in  the  pursuit  of  a  common  purpose.  Each  Church 
values  for  itself  differing  forms  of  thought  and  we  emphasize, 
somewhat  varying  theologies,  but,  nevertheless,  individual  in 
oar  freedom,  we  do  no  more  than  give,  as  it  were,  a  varied 
expression  to  our  invaluable  and  holy  Christian  faith.  I  feel 
that,  in  regard  to  our  unity,  we  are  to-day,  as  ever,  one.  I  feel 
that  in  regard  to  our  individuality  we  are  to-day,  as  ever,  many, 
in  order  that,  if  any  one  Church  may  be  able  to  contribute  or 
preserve  any  specially  valuable  thought  or  practice  all  the  rest 
are  at  liberty  to  receive  that  contribution,  and  thankfully  using 
it  may  at  length  make  it  common  to  us  all.  Just  as  in  some 
cathedrals  you  see  the  great  rose-window  which  in  the  west 
of  the  church  takes  up  and  transmits  the  light  of  a  perfect  day, 
and  when  you  look  at  it  and  look  out  through  it  you  see  the 
amber  and  the  gold  and  the  royal  purple  and  the  amethyst, 
the  shining  blue,  and  the  deep  ruby, — all  these  colors  perfect 
in  their  adjustment, — the  perfect  picture  according  to  the 
artist's  mind,  yet  if  you  turn  your  back  to  that  window  and 
look  toward  the  altar,  jou  will  find  that  through  these  many 
single  pieces  of  stained  glass,  all  of  them  of  different  colors, 
there  comes  from  the  whole  window,  upon  the  altar  of  God's 
house  a  pure  white  and  combined  light.  So  I  congratulate 
you,  that  from  this  ancient  church  so  many  churches  have 
arisen,  individual  in  their  planting,  and  individual  in  their  free 
growth  but  that  through  them  all,  taken  together,  there  still 
shines  the  white  light  of  the  Gospel  of  redeeming  love.  And 
if  there  should  fall  upon  some  of  the  young  men  and  upon 
some  of  the  young  women  of  this  church  that  spirit  of  proph- 
ecy that  was  spoken  of  by  an  elder  Prophet  of  by-gone  days ; 
if  it  were  given  to  any  here  in  that  spirit  of  prophecy  to  look 
ahead  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  I  can  express  no  better 
wish  than  that  catching  the  light  from  the  mountain  top  of 
Zion,  across  so  many  sunken  and  hidden  valleys  of  the  unre- 
vealed  future,  the  spirit  of  prophecy  might  discern  afar  off, 
that  when  another  quarter  millennial  shall  have  been  com- 
pleted, and  when  history  shall  have  swelled  the  stream  of  our 


82 

church  life  to  twice  its  present  magnitude  and  bulk,  that  even 
in  that  far  off  time,  this  ancient  and  Godly  church  may  still 
be  able  to  gather  around  her,  her  children  and  her  children's 
children,  consecrated  to  one  faith,  one  Lord,  one  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  to  a  common  penitence  and  a  common  hope 
of  everlasting  salvation. 


COLLECTION  OF  RELICS  AT  LECTURE  ROOM. 

MR.  IVES.  Dr.  Hovey  will  now  respond  for  the  Park  Street 
Church.  Will  the  other  gentlemen  please  come  forward. 

RESPONSE  from  the  Park  Street  Church,  Bridgeport. 

REV.  H.  C.  HOVEY,  D.D. 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER:  I  received  from  you  a  postal  card  clos- 
ing with  the  touching  words,  "Remember  the  Belle."  Thus 
the  Pastor  of  this  church  speaks  of  the  dear  old  grandmother. 
She  is  the  belle  whom  we  all  love,  beautiful  as  in  the  days  of 
her  youth.  Far  away  on  the  banks  of  the  Muscoka,  north  of 
the  Georgian  Bay  last  Sunday  morning,  I  met  with  a  group 
of  Christian  people  to  worship  God,  and  one  of  them  said  to 


83 


me,  you  are  going  to  have  a  celebration  at  Stratford,  we  un- 
derstand this  coming  week.  Dear  old  Stratford!  At  New 
York,  in  one  of  the  busiest  offices  on  Broadway  I  met  one  of 
the  busiest  men  of  all  in  that  great  throbbing  metropolis,  and 
as  we  parted,  after  transacting  a  little  business,  he  said,  there 
is  going  to  be  a  great  celebration  down  at  Stratford  next 
Thursday.  And  so  we  hear  from  one  and  another  of  those 
who  love  your  belle.  Away  off  in  Minneapolis,  when  a  dear 
brother  had  expounded  the  Scriptures  to  us  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  make  them  luminous,  and  I  asked  him  where  he  came 
from,  he  said  he  came  from  dear  old  Stratford.  I  am  glad  to 
see  him  here  to-day,  your  former  Sunday-School  superinten- 
dent, Brother  Plant.  Thus  we  all  are  here  with  our  tribute 
of  love  to  the  belle ;  and  perhaps  after  all,  deciphering  your 
hieroglyphics  which  I  do  with  joy  and  pleasure,  my  brother, 
I  may  have  misunderstood  the  matter,  and  it  may  be  the  young 
church  of  which  I  am  the  pastor  that  you  wish  me  to  speak 
of.  Remember  the  Belle !  How  could  I  forget  that  beautiful 
young  church  of  only  twenty  years,  strong,  lithe,  ruddy  in  her 
youth  and  beauty.  May  God  bless  her,  your  grandchild,  the 
Park  Street  Church,  with  its  four  hundred  and  fifty  members, 
its  Sunday-School  averaging  four  hundred,  take  the  year 
around,  its  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  so  full  of  life  and 
spirits,  its  Mother's  Meeting  so  goodly  and  strong, — all  its 
beautiful  features,  I  trace  back  through  its  parents  to  its 
grandmother.  I  say  its  parents ;  for  we  have  not  been  able 
to  decide  yet  Avhether  we  were  born  of  the  First  Church  or  the 
Second  Church,  both  claiming  us,  and  we  loving  both  and 
cherishing  them  dearly  in  our  hearts.  We  know  who  our 
grandmother  is  ! 

But  after  all  I  am  not  sure  about  the  postal  card.  There 
is  no  "e"  at  the  end  of  the  word  belle,  so  it  must  be  that  you 
have  reference  to  the  bell  that  swings  and  summons  to  the 
house  of  worship ;  and  it  may  be  that  in  your  pride  you  spoke 
of  that  old  bell  that  used  to  sound  down  in  Sandy  Hollow, 
when  all  around  through  Connecticut  the  Puritans  were  blow- 
ing their  horns  to  coaae  to  the  House  of  God,  or  were  sound- 
ing their  conch  shells,  or,  as  in  East  Haven,  good  old  Deacon 


84 


Austin  in  his  regimentals  was  marching  up  and  down  the  hill 
beating  his  big  base  drum  in  order  to  gather  men  to  the  House 
of  God.  Then  3-011,  in  those  days  were  swinging  the  first  bell 
of  goodly  Connecticut.  Yes,  remember  the  bell,  don't  forget 
that.  I  saw  the  tongue  of  the  bell,  the  iron  tongue  that 
cracked  the  old  bell,  not  that  bell,  perhaps;  but  some  other 
bell,  it  is  there  in  the  hall  of  relics — I  am  not  sure  I  am  point- 
ing in  the  right  direction,  but  you  know  what  I  mean — but  I 
saw  it.  Oh  how  many  times  that  bell  has  summoned  men  to 
worship  God,  how  many  times  it  has  rebuked  the  profane 
Sabbath  breaker ;  how  many  times  it  has  tolled  the  knell  for 
those,  who  have  passed  away  from  earth  to  heaven.  Yes,  re- 
member the  bell,  and  cherish  it,  for  it  is  God's  voice,  it  is  the 
voice  of  God's  bride  sounding  abroad  through  the  land,  rebuk- 
ing the  careless,  summoning  the  thoughtful,  encouraging  those 
who  are  ready  to  repair  to  the  House  of  God  and  to  enter  into 
his  service  gladly.  Yes,  there  is  one  thing  that  we  can  boast 
of  in  the  Park  Street  Church,  and  I  don't  know  of  any  other 
church  that  can,  we  hear  the  ringing  of  this  bell.  Perhaps 
you  can  hear  ours,  as  the  bells  peal  on  the  Sabbath  morning, 
calling  men  to  the  House  of  Prayer.  Oh,  I  love  the  church 
going  bell  and  I  think  of  all  the  bells  that  have  been  set  chim- 
ing and  still  chime  to  the  glory  of  God.  And  that  first  old 
bell  at  Sandy  Hollow,  I  say  let  us  remember  the  bell.  I  don't 
know  how  big  that,  bell  was.  We  don't  believe  in  very  big 
bells  in  our  Congregational  churches.  In  the  Cathedral  at 
Montreal  they  have  a  bell  that  weighs  29,400  pounds.  That 
is  a  monstrous  bell,  and  over  in  China  I  have  been  told  that 
the  largest  bell  there  is  inscribed  with  100,000  characters,  and 
every  one  of  those  characters  is  a  prayer,  and  when  the  bell 
is  rung  all  those  prayers  are  supposed  to  arise  to  Heaven. 
And  now,  my  brethren  and  sisters  in  this  old  Stratford  church, 
if  we  had  over  there  at  the  Park  Street  Church  a  tower  like 
the  tower  of  Eiffel  and  we  had  swinging  in  this  belfry  such  a 
bell  as  that  in  the  Cathedral  of  Montreal,  and  if  it  were  in- 
scribed with  a  hundred  thousand  or  a  million  characters,  and 
every  one  a  prayer,  when  the  bell  rings  those  prayers  should 
arise  to  God  for  you  and  your  church.  May  God  bless  you. 


85 


MB.  IVES.  We  will  now  hear  a  response  from  J.  J.  Rose, 
Esq.,  for  the  Olivet  Church. 

RESPONSE  from  the  Olivet  Church,  Bridgeport, 

J.  J.  ROSE,  ESQ. 

MR.  GRANDMOTHER:  It  is  not  my  intention  to  find  a  great 
deal  of  fault,  but  I  do  wish  to  say  one  thing  in  that  direction. 
We  grandchildren  have  had  a  delightful  time  here  to-day. 
We  have  had  a  jolly  good  time.  We  have  enjoyed  every  min- 
ute of  it.  But  we  do  not  like  to  come  here  and  be  told  we  are 
going  to  hear  five  minute  speaches,  and  then  hear  orations  of 
fifteen  minutes.  We  object  to  that,  Mr.  Grandmother,  and 
therefore,  to  make  up  for  it,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
would  deliver  an  oration  of  an  hour  and  a  half;  finally  I 
thought  that  I  should  inflict  just  as  much  suffering  upon  myself 
as  upon  the  rest  of  the  children ;  so  I  have  concluded  to  ask 
you  that  in  our  next  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  re-union  you 
will  let  us  grandchildren  speak  first.  I  have  no  doubt  though, 
in  my  heart,  that  you  are  to-day  delighting  in  these  richly 
dressed  children  of  yours ;  but,  you  know,  in  family  re-unions 
there  are  another  kind  of  children,  as  well  as  the  rich  and  dis- 
tinguished. We  find  in  church  re-unions  and  family  re-unions 
rich  relations  and  poor  relations.  I  come  here  representing 
one  of  the  poor  relations. 

Mr.  Grandmother,  Olivet  Church,  your  grandchild,  learned 
for  the  first  time,  to  my  knowledge,  when  you  sent  the  invita- 
tion, that  she  was  a  grandchild;  so  we  held  a  jollification 
meeting  at  once.  We  threw  up  our  hats  to  think  that  we 
were  of  such  a  distinguished  line  of  ancestry;  and  I  began  to 
look  back  in  memory  upon  our  church  record  during  our  ex- 
is  tance  of  twenty  years,  and  I  called  to  mind  that  little  gather- 
ing of  people  who" met  in  an  upper  room  over  a  grocery  store; 
and  I  remembered  how  that  little  church  grew  and  struggled. 
I  called  to  mind  the  difficulties  under  which  it  labored,  how 
through  a  decade  and  a  half,  it  could  scarcely  be  said  to  stand 
on  its  feet ;  in  fact,  I  really  think  we  are  "  creeping  "  yet ;  still, 
although,  during  the  first  fifteen  years  we  struggled  along,  I 
am  happy  to  say  that,  during  the  last  five  years,  under  one  of 


88 


the  best  of  leaders,  we  have  been  brought  by  our  Master  into 
green  pastures ;  and,  by  contrast,  we  are  in  luxury  where  be- 
fore we  were  in  want.  And,  sir,  as  I  have  thought  of  our  ex- 
periences, my  mind  went  back  to  that  little  band  which,  over 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, — I  believe  in  1608, — started 
out  from  that  little  English  village  of  Scrooby  and  went  up 
to  the  historic  town  of  Leyden,  and,  not  finding  that  large 
liberty  of  conscience  which  they  sought,  decided  that  they 
would  come  over  to  these  New  England  shores;  here  they 
found  what  they  desired ;  at  least,  if  they  did  not  find  that 
complete  freedom  to  the  extent  that  they  wished,  we  have 
found  it  to-day,  and  richly  enjoyed  the  same.  And  I  call  to 
mind  how  that  little  band  separated  in  Massachusetts,  and 
sent  down  here  into  the  State  of  Connecticut  those  little  col- 
onies such  as  Stratford  and  Milford  and  Guilford;  and  I  re- 
membered, as  I  read  over  their  history,  how  that  band  here 
fought  and  contended  with  the  Indians ;  suffered  internal 
strife,  in  the  same  way  the  little  Olivet  Church  has  done,  hav- 
ing dissensions,  to  the  extent  of  sending  off  a  feeble  branch 
to  found  another  church;  though  in  our  case  the  dissentors 
had  a  little  more  independence  of  character ;  (the  portion  that 
withdrew,  instead  of  founding  a  similar  church,  were  so  inde- 
pendent that  they  founded  a  Methodist  Church ;)  and,  as  I 
contrasted  these  two  churches  I  said  to  myself,  certainly,  if 
out  of  so  small  a  beginning,  if  out  of  so  weak  a  church  in 
numbers  and  influence,  our  mother  church  became  so  power- 
ful, and  has  sent  forth  into  this  world  heroic  characters  that 
are  to-day  building  up  both  character  for  themselves  and  for 
the  community;  if  this  mother  church  of  ours  has  become 
such  a  power  in  the  world,  and  accomplished  so  much  good, 
sir,  your  grandchild,  weak  as  she  is  to-day,  has  a  future  be- 
fore her,  and  we  propose  to  fight  along  this  line,  and  we  pro- 
pose to  build  up  in  that  community  where  your  grandchild 
exists,  a  God  fearing  and  a  God  loving  community.  And,  sir, 
when  the  roll  shall  be  called  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  hence, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  Olivet  Church  will  be  considered  a  worthy 
ancestor,  as  the  blessed  mother-church  is  to-day,  and  we  per- 
haps may  share  in  the  celebration  which  shall  be  as  blessed  a 
re-union  as  this  is  to-day. 


87 


MR.  IVES.  We  have  a  baby,  too,  a  few  years  old.  We  have 
reached  the  end  of  the  list  of  the  children,  and  now  we  are  to 
hear  from  the  baby.  While  this  sword  has  been  held  over  all 
the  other  speakers,  I  am  delighted  to  say  now  to  the  baby, 
that  she  shall  have  full  sway,  and  talk  just  as  long  as  she 
wishes. 

RESPONSE  from  the  West  End  Church,  Bridgeport, 

DEACON  J.  W.  NORTHROP. 

I  REMEMBER  that  one  of  the  previous  speakers  prayed  that 
God  would  have  mercy  upon  the  listeners. 

In  the  name  of  the  youngest  grandchild,  in  the  name  of  the 
West  End  Congregational  Church  of  Bridgeport,  I  present  to 
our  dear  venerable  grandmother  most  hearty  and  affectionate 
greeting.  We  are  the  infant  of  the  family,  and  we  look  for 
that  special,  loving  attention,  that  always  clusters  about  the 
baby.  I  have  said  we  are  the  infant ;  for  while  our  dear  grand- 
mother closes  the  wonderful  cycle  of  two  and  a  half  centuries, 
we  have  fulfilled  but  two  and  a  half  years.  And  though  an 
infant  of  so  short  a  life,  still  it  is  no  puny  weakling,  but  a 
healthy,  strapping,  lusty  child,  fast  striving  toward  maturity. 
The  West  End  Congregational  Church  was  recognized  by  a 
Council  convened  February  15,  1887.  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
one  of  the  twenty-one  original  members  of  the  church.  Since 
that  time  we  have  added  to  our  number  sixty-three,  and  have 
lost  six,  having  now  a  membership  of  seventy-eight,  so  that 
during  the  two  and  a  half  years  we  have  quadrupled  our  num- 
bers. If  we  continue  to  grow  at  this  rate,  for  the  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  of  our  grandmother's  life,  we  shall  have  a  mem- 
bership of — Well,  I  will  not  attempt  to  tell  you  how  many.  I 
began  to  figure  it,  and  reached  a  million  before  I  was  fairly 
started,  and  I  saw  there  was  no  use  in  figuring  any  farther, 
for  what  could  we  do  with  more  than  a  million  members? 
When  we  get  up  to  a  million  there  will  be  a  little  great-grand- 
daughter born  to  our  beloved  grandmother;  perhaps  it  will 
be  a  twin !  But  while  we  cannot  truthfully  say  we  expect  to 
grow  at  this  rate,  we  do  look  forward  to  a  large  increase  in 
the  future,  for  we  are  located  at  the  West  End ;  and  the  long 


88 

headed,  wise  fellows  say  that  from  the  very  nature  of  things, 
the  City  of  Bridgeport  is  bound  to  expand  at  the  West  End. 
And  while  a  great  many  of  those  long  headed  fellows  are  real 
estate  agents,  they  are  not  all  real  estate  agents,  so  we  put 
our  confidence  in  what  they  say.  The  original  enterprise  from 
which  the  church  sprang  was  a  little  Sunday-School  mission 
work  started  by  some  good  people  in  an  unoccupied  store. 
From  the  store  we  soon  grew  into  a  cottage  where  our  fifty 
or  sixty  scholars  were  scattered  through  five  rooms.  Pupils 
sat  on  the  stairs,  others  dangled  their  legs  from  the  sink- 
board.  From  the  cottage  we  grew  into  our  present  chapel- 
home  with  which  our  good  mother,  the  First  Church  of  Bridge- 
port so  charitably  clothed  us.  You  must  know  that  strapping 
infants  are  forever  outgrowing  their  clothes.  Last  year's 
dresses  won't  button  this  year ;  the  arms  stick  far  out  through 
the  sleeves;  the  skirts  cause  us  to  smile  at  their  shortness 
That  is  the  trouble  with  this  child,  we  can't  keep  inside  of  our 
clothes.  Twice  we  have  outgrown  our  garments,  and  now, 
the  third  time,  we  are  in  a  ridiculous  plight,  pulling  in  our 
arms  and  drawing  up  our  feet  and  afraid  to  take  a  long  breath 
for  fear  of  ripping  a  seam  or  bursting  off  a  button !  But  we 
are  not  an  indifferent  youngster  who  had  no  regard  for  the 
fitness  of  things,  and  we  propose  to  do  something  about  it, 
and  we  propose  to  do  a  great  deal  about  it.  One  feeble-kneed 
brother  advocated  ripping  out  the  hems  and  patching  down 
the  old  garments  and  trying  to  make  them  do.  I  am  putting 
it  very  mildly  when  I  say  that  that  young  man  was  simply 
squelched.  No,  my  good  friends,  we  have  got  to  have  another 
brand  new  set  of  clothes;  and  our  hearts  are  already  rejoicing 
in  anticipation.  We  do  not  propose  to  cultivate  our  clothes  at 
the  expense  of  our  souls  and  minds  or  even  of  our  pockets,  but 
we  do  realize  the  relative  importance  of  pretty  good  clothes, 
at  any  rate,  you  feel  tolerably  comfortable  inside  of  them.  We 
have  all  taken  measures  in  this  direction,  and,  as  everybody 
knows,  taking  measures  is  the  first  thing  to  do  when  you  are 
to  have  a  new  set  of  clothes. 

I  have  seen  this  Sunday-School  work  grow  in  numbers  from 
twenty-five  to  two  hundred,  and  now  in  truth  we  are  in  need 


of  more  commodious  quarters  in  order  to  successfully  carry 
on  our  work;  but  we  trust  that,  before  a  very  long  time,  we 
shall  be  in  possession  of  a  church  building  of  ample  size  and 
accommodations  to  meet  the  needs  of  our  enlarged  work. 
God  has  indeed  blessed  us  in  the  past.  He  has  blessed  us 
with  this  worthy  grandmother,  whose  true  piety  and  faith 
have  without  doubt  had  a  benign  influence  over  us.  He  has 
blessed  us  with  a  wise,  affectionate  mother,  whose  loving  care 
has  been  around  about  us  in  the  past,  and  who  still  cherishes 
us  in  a  very  tender  place  in  her  heart.  Better  than  all,  He 
has  blessed  us  with  His  own  divine  presence.  We  have  felt 
the  influence,  the  joy  of  His  overshadowing  love,  the  power 
and  grace  of  His  good  Spirit  in  our  midst.  And  now,  in  clos- 
ing, we  pray  that  the  God,  who  planted  and  has  sustained 
throughout  these  centuries  this  dear  grandmother  church,  will 
evermore  bestow  upon  her  His  richest  gifts ;  that  throughout 
the  coming  generations  she  may  continue  a  bright  and  shin- 
ing light  shedding  abroad  a  clear  radiance  over  the  paths  of 
multitudes  of  men ;  a  fountain  of  the  water  of  life  from  whence 
shall  flow  forth  the  streams  that  carry  peace  and  joy  and  sal- 
vation to  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

MR.  IVES.  Let  us  close  our  services  this  afternoon  by  sing- 
ing the  1141st  Hymn.  I  desire  to  give  two  notices  before 
singing  the  hymn.  In  the  first  place,  of  the  relics  which  are 
upon  exhibition  in  the  lecture  room  at  the-  rear  of  this  house. 
The  room  will  be  open  at  the  close  of  this  service.  The  ladies 
have  made  ample  provisions  for  a  supper  for  all  who  can  re- 
main and  be  with  us  in  the  evening  or  for  those  who  would 
take  supper  before  returning  to  their  homes.  The  supper 
will  be  served  in  the  hall  where  the  dinner  was  served,  and 
the  train  is  in  no  haste.  You  will  be  welcome  at  any  time 
after  half-past  five.  After  singing,  Mr.  Davenport  will  pro- 
nounce the  benediction,  whom  we  are  very  glad  to  have  with 
us  to-day. 

Hymn  1141.     "Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun." 


90 

BENEDICTION. 

REV.  J.  G.  DAVEXPORT. 

AND  now  may  the  blessing  that  maketh  rich  and  addeth  no 
sorrow,  the  blessing  of  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  be  upon  us  and  upon  all  his  Israel  forevermore.  Amen. 


(I'cttgrrgattoiial  Cfntrrjj.  Stratford, Conn. 


EVENING    SERVICE. 


MR.  IVES.  Rev.  Mr.  Pardee,  Rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  this  place,  will  now  read  the  Scriptures. 

MR.  PARDEE.  I  will  read  the  55th  Chapter  of  the  Book  of 
the  Prophet  Isaiah. 

MR.  IVES.  We  will  be  led  in  prayer  by  my  father,  who 
preached  in  the  building  which  preceded  this  one  fifty-three 
years  ago,  and  I  have  been  happy  to  have  him  preach  for  me 
three  times  since  I  have  been  the  pastor  of  this  church. 


PRAYER, 
REV.  ALFRED  E/IVES,  of  Castine,  Maine. 

O  LORD  our  God,  we  bow  and  worship  before  Thy  face.  We 
call  upon  our  souls  and  all  within  us  to  praise  and  bless  Thy 
holy  name.  Thou  art  faithful  as  the  great  mountains,  that 
cannot  be  removed  but  endure  forever.  We  rejoice  in  the 
manifestations  of  that  faithfulness,  in  Thy  dealings  with  Thy 
people  here.  We  bless  Thy  name  for  this  day,  for  this  com- 
memoration, that  there  is  so  much  to  commemorate,  so  much 
to  recount  with  thankfulness  and  with  joy.  We  praise  and 
bless  Thy  holy  name  that  in  Thy  providence  and  by  Thy  good 
spirit  in  years  and  generations  gone  the  foundations  of  many 
generations  here  were  laid  in  faith,  in  humble  prayer.  We 
rejoice  that  Thy  watchfulness  has  been  over  this  vine  of  Thy 
planting,  that  Thou  hast  caused  it  to  bud  and  bring  forth 
fruit  so  abundantly,  extending  its  boughs  to  the  sea  and  its 
branches  to  the  river,  that  it  has  been  like  a  bough,  even  a 
fruitful  bough  by  a  wall,  whose  branches  ran  over  the  wall. 
We  rejoice  that  there  have  gone  forth  from  this  church  other 
'churches  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  standing  firm  in  the  truth 


and  love  of  God,  blessed  richly  in  the  grace  of  God  with  en- 
largement and  upbuilding  and  strength.  We  thank  Thee  for 
all  Thou  has  done  for  this  mother  church  and  for  those  that 
have  gone  forth  from  her.  We  rejoice  in  Thy  goodness  and 
mercy  to  them,  these  churches  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  much  in 
them  that  manifest  the  faithfulness  and  love  and  power  and 
grace  of  God.  The  Lord  in  His  favor  grant  that,  as  in  gene- 
rations past,  so  in  time  to  come,  and  more  abundantly,  the 
riches  and  grace  of  God  may  come  to  His  people  here,  upon 
this  church  of  God,  upon  all  its  membership,  and  upon  all 
who  are  so  closely  related  to  it  by  that  intimacy  with  it  in  the 
past.  We  pray  that  more  and  more  Thou  wilt  work  for  Zion, 
that  it  may  be  every  where  made  manifest  that  those  who 
name  the  name  of  God  are  indeed  a  peculiar  people,  zealous 
of  good  works,  the  Lord  Jesus  dwelling  with  them  in  their 
hearts  and  in  their  habitations.  W7e  pray,  Our  Father,  that 
in  coming  years  there  may  still  be  enlargement  from  these 
churches,  and  that  all  these  churches  around  about  us  and  far 
away  over  this  wide  land  may  bear  the  name  of  Christ,  and 
the  riches  of  His  grace  be  manifest  in  their  enlargement.  We 
thank  Thee  for  all  Thou  has  done  for  our  land,  and  pray  that 
more  and  more  Thou  wilt  work  until  this  land  and  all  the 
lands  shall  be  filled  with  the  fullness  and  the  grace  of  God. 
We  commend  Zion  and  her  interests  to  Thee.  Still  thou  dost 
work  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks.  Still  dost  Thou 
carry  the  stars  in  Thy  right  hand,  and  with  confidence  we  may 
commend  our  interests  to  Thee,  and  pray  for  Thy  great  name's 
sake  Thou  wilt  work  good  unto  them.  Bless  us  in  the  remain- 
ing services  of  this  evening,  that  they  may  be  profitable  to  us 
and  enjoyable  to  us  and  prove  to  Thy  honor  and  glory,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  our  Redeemer.  Amen. 


MR.  IVES.  It  may  perhaps  be  a  relief  to  some  if  I  give  no- 
tice that  the  train  for  New  Haven  leaves  at  9.21,  and  the  train 
for  Bridgeport  at  9.26.  We  shall  probably  be  through  these 
exercises  in  abundant  season  for  either  of  these  trains,  but  if 


the  services  should  be  prolonged  I  will  give  notice,  so  that 
any  who  desire  to  take  these  trains  may  be  amply  notified. 

MR.  IVES.  I  am  very  happy  to  announce  an  address  from 
Dr.  Hall,  a  former  pastor  of  this  church. 

ADDRESS. 

REV.  WILLIAM  K.  HALL,  D.D. 

MR.  MODERATOR,  FATHERS  AND  BRETHREN:  I  deem  it  a  great 
privilege  to  be  present  with  you  to-day,  and  participate  in  this 
joyous  festival,  on  this  high  day  in  the  history  of  this  ancient 
church.  Though  my  pastorate  was  not  a  long  one,  it  was  suf- 
ficiently long  for  me  to  become  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
interests  of  this  church,  and  to  become  intimately  acquainted 
with  many  of  you  in  your  homes.  It  does  not  require  a  long 
time  for  a  pastor  to  know  his  people  by  their  firesides,  to  find 
his  affections  twining  about  many  a  home,  forming  the  ten-, 
derest  attachments  with  many  hearts.  Returning  to-day  after 
the  lapse  of  eighteen  years,  a  flood  of  memories  has  been 
sweeping  through  my  mind,  as  I  have  met  one  and  another 
and  grasped  the  hand  of  those  to  whom  I  was  so  closely  drawn 
years  ago.  I  have  been  dwelling  very  much  in  the  past. 

But  this  is  not  the  place  or  the  hour  for  the  utterance  of 
thoughts  which  are  for  the  most  part  of  a  private  nature. 

Our  ears  have  become  familiar  with  "Centennial"  and  "Bi- 
centennial," and  no  longer  do  we  deserve  the  sneer  that  we 
have  often  heard  from  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  that  we  have 
no  history,  no  monumental  stones,  that  our  life  was  young  and 
callow.  We  are  passing  beyond  that  condition.  We  have 
been  rapidly  pushing  on  into  events  that  have  so  crowded  and 
crowned  these  years  as  to  have  made  them  some  of  the  most 
important  and  conspicuous  years,  as  far  as  the  great  interests 
of  humanity  are  concerned,  in  all  the  world's  history.  I  sup- 
pose that  we  may  be  apt  to  err  in  magnifying  the  relative 
value  of  the  years  immediately  behind  us  as  compared  with 
the  earlier  centuries ;  and  yet  I  think  that,  after  the  soberest 
.reflection,  one  would  conclude  that  the  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  which  span  the  life  of  this  church,  cannot  be  much  sur- 


96 


passed  in  importance  and  conspicuousness,  as  regards  the 
great  vital  interests  of  humanity,  by  any  of  the  years  or  cen- 
turies that  may  yet  come  before  the  curtain  drops  and  the 
great  drama  of  history  is  closed.  Already  we  are  talking 
about  the  celebration  of  the  Four  Hundredth  Anniversary  of 
the  discovery  of  America ;  but  during  the  first  hundred  years 
and  more  of  this  period  there  was  a  comparative  barrenness 
respecting  any  great  important  events  that  have  a  far  out- 
reaching  influence  upon  the  highest  welfare  of  humanity.  It 
is  not  until  that  period  when  the  Pilgrims  landed  on  the  shores 
of  Plymouth,  one  of  the  great  epochs  of  history,  and  when  the 
colonists  laid  these  foundations  of  church  and  State  along  the 
shores  of  Connecticut,  that  we  begin  to  strike  the  history  that 
seems  to  be  mighty  in  its  every  event,  reaching  far  out  down 
to  the  present  and  far  on  into  the  future.  And  so,  when  we 
review  the  history  of  this  ancient  church,  looking  backward  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years ;  when  we  cbme  to  you,  dear  brethren, 
as  you  stop  in  this  grand,  lordly  march  through  the  centuries 
halting  for  a  little  while  to  look  back  over  the  way  by  which 
you  have  come,  we  can  feel  with  you  that  the  fathers  began 
their  work  at  a  period  in  the  history  of  this  world  which  in 
all  probability  will  not  be  surpassed  in  all  the  years  and  cen- 
turies that  are  before  us,  for  the  gravity  of  the  nature  of  the 
events  in  which  they  were  the  actors,  and  for  the  profound  sig- 
nificance of  the  issues  proceeding  from  them.  It  is  a  fact  of 
great  suggestive  value,  as  it  seems  to  me,  that  while  we  are 
celebrating  our  centennials  and  bi-centennials  of  civil  govern- 
ment and  civil  institutions,  there  are  simultaneously  these 
church  centennials.  While  we  lift  up  our  thanks  to  God  for 
the  government  under  which  we  have  reached  such  great 
prosperity;  for  the  civil  and  religious  freedom  that  is  our 
glorious  inheritance  from  the  fathers,  we  do  not  fail  to  come 
and  bow  lovingly  and  reverently  at  these  holy  shrines,  at  these 
church  altars  our  fathers  reared.  We  do  not  fail,  I  say:  aye, 
we  must  do  it  if  we  are  true  to  history.  There  is  thus  brought 
prominently  before  our  minds  the  significant  fact  that  coeval 
with  the  foundation  of  civil  government  were  the  foundations 
of  these  churches  of  Christ.  This  is  a  fact  brought  with  great 


1)7 


power  by  these  commemorative  celebrations  upon  the  minds 
of  the  youth  of  this  generation,  even  as  it  comes  with  great 
and  refreshing  power  upon  the  minds  of  those  in  middle  life 
and  those  who  are  passing  away.  And  we  are  reminded  by  it 
that  the  source  of  this  national  prosperity,  the  primal  cause 
of  this  blessedness  that  is  ours  under  these  civil  institutions, 
must  ever  be  inseparably  linked  with  the  House  of  God. 

My  friends,  the  question  perhaps  may  come  to  some  prac- 
tical mind,  of  what  utility  are  such  church  anniversaries  as 
this  which  we  are  enjoying  to-day?  Of  what  value  can  they 
be  to  us  or  to  our  children?  Is  it  not  merely  a  passing  senti- 
ment, pleasing,  it  may  be,  for  the  hour,  but  leaving  no  abiding 
product  of  good  behind  it?  Homer  tells  us  that  Diomede  did 
not  see  the  gods  until  Pallas  Athene  swept  the  mist  from  be- 
fore his  eyes.  It  is  by  the  power  of  reminiscences  such  as 
these  we  have  had  to-day,  that  the  mists  are  blown  away  from 
before  our  eyes.  We  look  back  along  the  path  of  this  church 
history  and  see  the  consecrations  to  God,  the  fidelities  to  his 
service  and  the  hallowed  and  hallowing  genius  and  the  pro- 
found religious  spirit  of  the  men  who  wrought  for  us  in  the 
years  gone  by.  It  is  only  by  the  power  of  just  such  memories 
as  these  revived  to-day  that  we  properly  estimate  the  worth 
of  those  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  goodly  structure  into 
which  we  have  entered,  and  which  has  been  and  is  our  pride 
and  our  joy.  Of  what  value  to  us?  Value  in  the  inspiration 
and  impulse  we  receive  for  the  re-consecrating  of  ourselves  to 
a  like  service,  of  the  quickening  of  our  own  faith  in  God,  and 
in  the  building  up  in  ourselves  of  a  like  moral  strength,  and 
a  like  righteous  character.  There  was  once  a  time  when  the 
Moabite  soldiers  prevented  a  burial,  and  they  hastily  cast  the 
body  into  the  sepulchre  of  Elisha ;  and  the  sacred  writer  tells 
us  that  when  the  body  touched  the  old  bones  of  Elisha  it  re- 
vived and  stood  upon  its  feet.  It  is  by  the  touch  that  we 
have  had  to-day  of  this  revered  past  of  this  history  of  God's 
Providence  in  this  church,  of  that  grace  He  gave  to  the  fathers, 
that  we  ourselves  are  revived  and  anointed  anew  for  the  work 
that  God  has  for  us  to  do. 

I  have  noted  in  the  addresses  that  have  been  made  to-day 


98 


that  very  little  has  been  said  of  the  talents,  of  the  learning,  of 
the  great  abilities  of  those  who  occupied  in  the  earlier  years 
the  pulpit  of  this  and  of  other  churches  that  have  sprung  from 
it.  Among  them  were  great  preachers,  men  of  much  learning, 
men  foremost  in  intellectual  strength  and  attainment  of  the 
time,  but  these  points  have  not  been  emphasized  to-day. 
Prominent  in  your  thoughts  and  in  the  thoughts  of  those  who 
have  spoken  to  us,  has  been  the  spirit  that  possessed  them, 
the  faith  that  animated  them,  the  consecration  to  God  and 
His  service  that  characterized  their  lives.  There  is  helpful- 
ness in  this  fact  for  us.  For  we,  by  the  power  of  these  mem- 
ories thus  revived,  are  greatly  aided  to  see,  that  effective  work 
for  God,  the  fulfilling  of  our  mission  in  the  world,  after  all 
depend  upon  a  right  heart,  upon  a  true  spirit,  upon  consecra- 
tion to  God  and  His  service.  As  we  look  back  over  the  his- 
tory of  this  church  we  are  impressed  with  what  numberless 
sacrifices  and  numberless  fidelities  must  have  marked  those 
who  have  been  prominent  through  all  the  years  from  the  begin- 
ning of  this  church  life.  There  is  something  rather  wonder- 
ful, and  yet  very  intelligible,  Mr.  Moderator,  in  this  fact  of  a 
continued  spiritual  life,  a  fidelity  of  godliness  for  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years.  Whence  came  it  ?  How  has  it  been  sustaind  ? 
Two  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  unbroken,  continuous,  indes- 
tructible holy  life,  a  life  of  faith  in  Christ,  a  life  of  love  for 
him,  a  life  of  fidelity  to  the  Cross  of  Jesus!  How  shall  we 
explain  it  except  by  the  indwelling  Spirit  of  God  in  human 
hearts,  the  Divine  Spirit,  touching  this  human  life  and  that 
human  life,  lighting  a  flame  here  on  this  heart  and  there  on 
that  heart,  and  the  flame  ever  burning  brightly,  the  life  once 
given  continually  sustained,  through  all  these  years.  This 
truth  was  forced  afresh  upon  my  mind  this  morning,  as  obe- 
dient to  the  promptings  of  my  heart,  I  visited  yonder  burying- 
ground  and  stood  before  the  monument  of  one  whom  I  had 
laid  there  to  rest.  I  stood  and  pondered,  and  remembered, 
and  prayed.  I  have  but  to  mention  the  name  of  Deacon  D. 
P.  Judson,  for  all  of  you  who  were  his  contemporaries  at  once 
know  that  I  speak  the  name  of  one  who,  if  we  could  have 
looked  into  his  heart,  would,  next  to  the  name  of  wife  and  child- 


ren,  have  written  the  name  of  this  church  of  Christ.  I  re- 
member him  as  one  who  was  of  unspeakable  comfort  and 
strength  to  me  in  the  days  of  my  pastorate  of  this  church.  I 
remember  him  as  one  who  bore  on  his  heart  of  hearts  every 
interest  of  this  church,  and  whose  unselfish  devotion  to  its 
welfare  was  recognized  by  all.  I  make  this  reference  merely 
for  the  sake  of  an  illustration.  That  that  one  life  was  but  one 
of  many  with  which  this  church  through  all  the  years  has  been 
blessed.  Each  generation  in  turn  has  had  many  who,  in  stead- 
fast faith,  with  believing  prayer  and  unwearied  labor  have 
ministered  at  this  altar.  Here  we  have  the  explanation  of  the 
fact  of  this  unbroken  church  life  for  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  in  this  community.  It  has  been  and  is  the  "Church  of 
the  living  God."  Brethren  there  are  great  souls  behind  us. 

We,  of  to-day,  who  have  entered  into  the  privileges  and 
blessings  they  have  bequeathed  to  us;  we  who  have  the  en- 
joyment of  the  successes  and  victories  they  have  gained  for 
us,  have  not  begun  to  measure  their  heroism  of  thought,  of 
feeling  and  of  action ;  their  numberless  sacrifices ;  their  num- 
berless fidelities.  If  we  are  to  be  worthy  of  them  we  must 
gird  the  loins  of  our  mind  and  be  sober  and  earnest,  and  faith- 
ful to  the  end. 

Not  only  has  this  continuity  of  church  life  in  its  inner  spirit 
and  power  been  strongly  impressed  upon  me  to-day.  There 
is  another;  and  it  is  that  of  the  presentation  of  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints, — loyalty  to  the  standards  of 
truth  and  to  the  forms  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel.  I 
would  not  have  any  of  you  infer  that  I  believe  that  our  fathers 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  did  the  thinking  for  us  of 
to-day.  I  would  not  have  you  suppose  that  I  am  so  bigoted 
as  to  feel  that  we  can  make  no  improvement  in  the  termin- 
ology of  our  religious  creed.  I  would  not  have  you  for  a 
moment  think  that  I  am  so  wedded  to  uninspired  words,  to 
mere  forms  and  statements  of  truth  that  men  have  made,  as  to 
think  that  the  expressions  and  utterances  of  one  Christian 
age  are  sufficient  for  all  time.  But  we  may  count  as  certain- 
ties to-day  many  things  which  our  fathers  would  have  regarded 
as  wild  dreams,  while  we  may  have  wider  and  broader  vistas 


100 


of  truth  than  they  had.  While  the  streams  of  truth  have  been 
growing  wider  and  wider,  and  our  bark  may  have  been  driven 
into  broader  and  deeper  harbors  of  knowledge,  yet,  still,  let 
us  remember  to  cultivate  the  spirit  of  reverence  for  the  past, 
for  only  as  we  have  reverence  for  the  past  can  we  have  any 
hope  for  the  future.  While  we  have  reverence  for  the  past, 
let  us  be  deeply  humble  as  to  what  we  ourselves  have  gained 
or  may  gain.  Let  us  remember  that  though  the  paths  we  are 
treading,  may  lead  us  into  broader  fields  and  open  out  into 
wider  and  more  attractive  vistas,  that  these  paths  are  those 
the  fathers  marked  out  for  us.  We  did  not  mark  them  out 
for  ourselves.  So,  with  profound  gratitude  for  their  work 
along  all  the  lines  of  religious  and  theological  life,  of  social 
life,  of  intellectual  life,  let  us,  in  our  rejoicings  to-day,  con- 
gratulate ourselves  that  such  a  noble  lineage  is  ours.  Let 
our  congratulations  be  in  a  spirit  that  I  can  no  better  express 
to  you  than  in  the  simple  words  of  the  familiar  heart-touching 
hymn,  "More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee,  more  love  to  Thee." 
Let  us  lift  up  on  high,  as  ours,  the  motto  of  the  early  Redemp- 
tionist  Fathers,  "All  for  Thee,  dear  Christ,  All  for  Thee.'' 
And  may  the  blessing  of  the  God  of  the  fathers,  that  rested 
upon  the  fathers,  rest  upon  their  children  to  the  remotest 
generations. 

We  shall  now  have  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  a  former 
pastor  of  this  church,  Rev.  Mr.  Fitch. 

DENOMINATIONAL  ESPRIT  DE  CORPS. 

REV.  FRANK  S.  FITCH. 

Why  is  Protestant  Christendom  divided  into  so  many  sects  ? 
The  Church  of  Rome  answers  confidently  because  of  the  great 
apostacy  from  the  true  church.  Human  reason  was  enthroned 
in  the  place  of  the  authority  of  the  apostles  and  their  succes- 
sors, and  disintegration  is  the  natural  and  necessary  result. 
Behold  the  evils  of  dissent,  say  the  State  or  established 
churches  such  as  the  Church  of  England. 

A  partial  explanation  is  found  in  the  fact  that  there  were 


101 


various  degrees  of  reformation  in  different  localities.  The 
movement  throughout  Western  Europe  was  a  general  one,  but 
modified  in  some  degree  at  each  separate  center.  All  could 
agree  that  salvation  is  by  faith  and  not  by  works,  and  that  the 
Scriptures  themselves  and  not  the  Pope  or  the  church  are  the 
court  of  final  decision,  but  the  accepted  doctrine  of  the  right 
of  final  interpretation  of  God's  word  opened  the  way  for  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  in  reference  to  the  true  significance  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  the  mode  of  baptism,  the  relation  of  church  to 
state  and  the  seat  of  ecclesiastical  authority,  and  hence  we 
find  ourselves  in  this  year  of  our  Lord,  1889,  strangely  divided. 

It  is  not  hard  to  account  for  these  existing  differences.  We 
know  why  they  have  been  and  are :  our  chief  interest  is  in 
their  future  mutations.  Is  denominational  spirit  diminishing  ? 
Are  the  fences  between  the  different  estates  of  our  Protestant 
churches  being  lowered  from  time  to  time,  with  a  speedy  pros- 
pect of  final  removal,  as  popular  speech  in  our  union  conven- 
tions so  often  and  confidently  asserts?  The  ease  and  willing- 
ness with  which  pastors  change  from  the  care  of  churches  of 
one  polity  to  those  of  another,  and  the  individual  members 
find  a  new  Christian  fellowship,  according  to  considerations  of 
personal  convenience  or  business  and  social  interests  would 
seem  to  answer — Yes. 

There  is,  confessedly,  a  good  deal  of  politeness.  Our  re- 
ligious assemblies  welcome  fraternal  delegates  with  great  cor- 
diality and  abundant  applause  when  they  assure  us  that  the 
points  of  agreement  between  our  different  denominations  are 
many  and  important  while  our  differences  are  few  and  nearly 
obsolete.  Sermons  whose  substance  is  an  attack  upon  the 
rival  across  the  way  are  far  less  common  or  welcome  than  fifty 
years  ago.  The  greater  intelligence,  wider  observation  and 
more  kindly  spirit  of  both  our  clergy  and  laity  is  noticeable ; 
yet  we  must  not  forget  that  there  are  always  counter  currents. 
The  Gulf  Stream  may  flow  continuously  in  one  direction,  but 
there  is  no  massing  of  waters  on  the  coasts  of  Britain  or  lack 
in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  From  one  point  of  observation  it  may 
seem  that  denominational  spirit  moves  only  in  warm  currents 
with  summer  and  harvest  in  its  train,  while  from  another  the 


102 


chill  of  party  spirit  and  the  shock  of  unholy  competition  first 
arrest  attention.  These  icebergs  from  a  clime  where  our 
Lord's  kingdom  has  not  been  established  float  far  into  the 
blessed  region  of  home  and  foreign  missionai-y  activity  and 
sink  many  a  gospel  ship  and  drown  many  a  brave  and  self- 
sacrificing  servant  of  the  Master. 

Denominational  schools  and  colleges  are  multiplying  on 
every  hand.  Each  considerable  branch  of  the  Protestant 
church  has  its  educational,  church  erection,  home  and  foreign 
missionary  societies,  and  now  great  book  concerns  are  provid- 
ing Sunday-School  papers,  lesson  leaves,  weekly  religious 
papers,  monthly  and  quartely  magazines. 

Even  the  great  national  societies,  whose  accomplished  work 
is  second  to  none  other  in  our  century,  in  which  the  churches 
of  our  order  have  had  such  honorable  place,  the  American 
Board,  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  the  American 
Missionary  Association,  are  now,  in  fact,  denominational  soci- 
eties. Whose  fault  is  it — ours?  No!  We  desired  coopera- 
tion, worked  for  cooperation,  have  given  money,  men  and 
churches  in  our  effort  to  secure  cooperation.  Our  sincerity 
cannot  be  questioned.  Is  this  a  record  of  partial  failure  ?  No ! 
but  an  honorable  and  permanent  testimony.  If  we  bear  hence- 
forth a  denominational  name,  work  by  denominational  methods, 
and  have  need  of  cultivating  more  denominational  spirit,  it  is 
because  our  younger  brothers  and  children  have  set  up  house- 
keeping for  themselves  and  left  us  alone  with  our  inheritance 
of  national  societies  and  colleges  to  maintain  as  best  we  may. 
Many  of  us  do  not  regard  the  denominational  life  of  Protes- 
tant Christendom,  as  now  manifested,  as  the  ideal  or  ultimate 
form  of  the  visible  church  of  Christ.  It  is  too  narrow  and  ex- 
act in  doctrinal  statement  and  too  confident  in  ecclesiastical 
polity.  Each  branch  is  positive  as  to  its  own  teachings  and 
method.  It  seems  to  rest  all,  in  true  Protestant  fashion,  011 
the  Scriptures ;  but  Independents,  Presbyterians,  Methodists 
and  Episcopalians  cannot  all  and  at  the  same  time  be  abso- 
lutely apostolical  and  scriptural.  Yet  they  seem  to  think  so. 
They  say  so.  I  cannot  believe  that  the  unhealthf  ul  and  unchris- 
tian spirit  manifested  but  too  often  in  the  past  in  our  home  mis- 


103 


sionary  work  is  necessary  or  needs  any  increase.  Such  are 
some  of  the  evils  of  denominationalism,  yet  great  as  they  are 
and  much  to  be  deplored,  they  are  less  than  those  of  enforced 
conformity  as  our  fathers  knew  and  deplored  them  in  England. 
They  are  incident  to  times  of  experiment  and  transition,  and 
are  already  attracting  attention.  The  long-talked- of  and  not 
much  practiced  comity  between  denominations  in  home  mis- 
sionary work,  is  beginning  to  be  employed,  not  very  generally, 
nor  with  remarkable  enthusiasm,  yet  like  Civil  Service  Eeform 
and  other  things  too  good  for  half  sanctified  society,  it  is  be- 
ing demanded  by  the  best  thought  and  piety  of  the  time,  and 
the  people  will  not  rest  until  the  work  of  Christ  is  done  in  his 
spirit  and  by  methods  which  need  no  apology. 

The  rapid  enlargement  of  our  cities  in  the  older  States,  the 
new  empires  opening  for  conquest  and  development  in  the 
New  West  and  Southwest,  and  the  open  doors  of  the  whole 
heathen  world,  invite  men  and  societies  to  a  nobler  work  than 
serving  disaffected  minorities  or  building  churches  for  uneasy 
individuals  who  have  pet  theories  which  they  wish  to  test 
chiefly  by  means  of  the  toil  and  gifts  of  others. 

What  is  the  duty  of  Congregationalists  at  this  time?  Are 
we  to  yield  the  field  forever,  as  our  fathers  did  in  hundreds 
of  instances  in  the  Empire  State  in  times  past,  to  our  more 
confident  and  less  scrupulous  rivals  through  fear  of  showing 
a  sectarian  spirit ;  or  are  we  to  enter  the  lists  of  the  denomi- 
national race  for  supremacy  in  this  country  and  become  the 
most  boastful  and  saucy  of  the  whole  ignoble  company? 

I  do  not  see  any  need  of  doing  either.  A  healthful  and 
honorable  competition  is  better  than  an  unchecked  and  irre- 
sponsible monopoly,  whether  we  are  engaged  in  carrying 
breadstuffs  from  Minneapolis  to  Liverpool,  or  transporting 
citizens  from  Connecticut  to  the  New  Jerusalem.  There  are 
now  no  "licensed  carriers."  The  route  which  is  shortest, 
cheapest,  makes  the  best  time  and  delivers  its  merchandise  in 
the  best  condition  will  be  the  "people's  line."  The  highest 
practical  utility  is  the  test.  The  great  public  is  an  interested 
and  intelligent  observer  in  this  time  of  construction  and  com- 
petition. Should  we  have  more  denominational  spirit?  Can 


104 


we  hope  to  compete  with  rival  and  parallel  trunk  lines  as  a 
great  continental  agency?  We  say  confidently,  yes.  Our  line 
is  the  most  direct,  and  least  expensive,  our  machinery  strong 
and  simple,  our  stock  has  never  been  watered — try  us. 

The  creed  maker  is  abroad.  For  some  time  he  has  been 
without  occupation.  In  common  with  manufacturer,  projec- 
tor of  railroads  and  merchant  marine,  he  has  been  under  a 
cloud. 

There  has  been  no  demand  for  his  wares  nor  reverence  for 
his  person.  So  long  as  the  fundamentals  of  church  and  state 
were  questioned,  and  the  very  foundations  of  existing  institu- 
tions were  trembling,  the  defender  of  the  faith  like  the  resi- 
dent of  regions  frequented  by  earthquakes  has  been  content 
to  dwell  in  a  one-story  house  with  veiy  broad  base,  with  a  half 
preference  to  live  wholly  out  of  doors.  He  could  not  be 
threatened  or  cajoled  into  an  admission  that  he  believed  any- 
thing in  particular  or  had  great  attachment  for  the  posses- 
sions of  his  fathers.  But  now  how  different.  The  maker  of 
creeds  in  common  with  many  others  is  thoroughly  convales- 
cent. His  discouragement  has  vanished.  His  occupation,  in 
his  own  judgment  at  least,  is  no  mean  one,  and  he  is  making 
active  preparation  for  spring  trade.  From  basement  to  loft 
all  the  wares  of  the  port  are  being  brought  forth,  remnants, 
unsaleable  fabrics,  dust-covered  and  faded  patterns  with  here 
and  there  a  novelty,  are  spread  before  the  thronging  crowd 
of  purchasers  with  all  the  eagerness  of  an  Israelite  tradesman. 
All  the  creeds  from  the  so-called  Apostles'  down  to  that  of  the 
National  Council's  Committee  of  Twenty-five  are  on  exhibition. 
It  is  not  strange  that  such  a  fascinating  occupation  as  creed- 
making  should  have  an  early  revival.  It  is  just  as  delightful 
to  make  ecclesiastical  raiment  for  the  use  of  others  as  to  pro- 
vide gowns  for  the  queen  of  fashion.  Now  I  am  not  ambitious 
to  make  a  creed  out  of  new  cloth,  but  as  suggestions  are  in- 
vited I  wish  somewhere  between  the  Apostles'  Creed  and  to- 
morrow's to  insert  this  single  phrase — "I  believe  in  the  local 
church." 

I  believe  in  the  local  church.  I  believe  that  it  has  a  Scrip- 
tural basis;  although  I  do  not  insist  that  other  ecclesiastical 


105 


systems  have  not.  For  one,  I  am  willing  to  admit  that  I  do 
not  find  any  one  of  the  great  branches  of  the  Church  catholic, 
Congregational,  Presbyterian,  Methodist  Episcopal,  Protestant 
Episcopal,  Greek,  or  Roman  Catholic,  fully  equipped  in  doc- 
trine, discipline,  and  activities  in  its  exact  present  form  in  the 
New  Testament.  All  doubtless  have  their  proof- texts,  and 
with  greater  or  less  admixture  of  human  opinion  and  error 
have  developed  their  systems  from  the  gei'ins  contained  in 
Revelation.  All  I  claim  is  that  we  rest  our  theory  of  the  local 
church  as  complete  in  itself  on  what  is  written.  To  the  law 
and  the  testimony  is  our  friendly  challenge.  I  regard  our 
theory  of  the  local  church,  as  seen  in  our  Congregational  sis- 
terhood, as  a  valuable  working  hypothesis.  I  am  confident 
that  the  more  severely  accurate  exegesis  of  the  future,  and  the 
careful  comparative  study  of  the  relative  excellence  of  the 
many  outward  expressions  of  Christianity  in  church  life  to 
which,  whether  they  consent  or  not,  all  systems  are  being  sub- 
jected, will  require  of  us  as  few  changes  as  of  any  other,  and 
we  have  no  such  superstitious  reverence  /for  the  mere  words 
or  methods  of  the  Fathers,  Reformer  or  Separatist,  Puritan 
or  Pilgrim,  as  to  be  unwilling  to  make  any  modifications, 
which  may  be  proven  to  be  required  by  God's  word.  I  believe 
that  our  churches  are  true  churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
We  have  tried,  whether  with  entire  fidelity  or  not,  we  may  not 
judge,  to  reproduce  the  New  Testament  churches.  I  believe 
in  our  local  self -governed  churches  because  of  their  quicken- 
ing influence  in  secular  life. 

They  have  cultivated  no  monastic  spirit  nor  sought  escape 
from  the  burden  of  affairs. 

They  have  been  in  spirit  and  in  fact  in  the  world  but  not 
of  it. 

Burke,  in  the  House  of  Commons,  says  Dr.  Dexter,  once 
remarked:  "Their  way  (i.  e.,  the  Colonists')  of  professing  re- 
ligion accounts  for  their  fierce  love  of  liberty." 

The  town  meeting  and  the  local  church  have  been  the 
schools  of  an  intelligent  patriotism  and  a  thoughtful  piety. 
That  each  community,  however  small,  must  have  the  care  of 
many  of  the  great  interests  of  men,  in  matters  both  temporal 


106 


and  spiritual,  busying  itself  continually  with  facts,  theories, 
hindrances  and  measures,  is  vital  to  the  purity  and  perma- 
nence of  our  institutions. 

These  deliberations  may  be  often  unbusiness-like  and  petty 
in  comparison  with  the  legislation  of  parliaments  and  the  find- 
ings of  councils,  but  we  must  not  forget  that  our  growing 
numbers  and  widening  domain  increase  the  tension  upon  each 
individual  community,  and  make  new  demands  for  personal 
intelligence  and  honor.  These  come  from  study,  observation 
and  responsibility.  Mere  assent  and  conformity  never  have 
nurtured  men.  Personal  interest,  personal  care,  personal 
honor,  constant  search  for  truth  and  unselfish  loyalty  to  it 
when  discovered  must  not  pass  away  in  the  land  of  the  Pil- 
grims. 

I  believe  in  the  local  church  because  of  its  adaptation  to  the 
work  of  the  future.  It  is  flexible,  uses  generals  to  meet  par- 
ticulars, willingly  allows  time,  the  remorseless  pruner,  to  cut 
away  much  of  last  year's  woody  structure  now  that  its  fruit 
has  been  garnered,  that  it  may  be  able  to  bring  forth  more 
abundantly.  It  remembers  that  only  the  new  wood  buds, 
blossoms,  and  bears  fruit.  The  old  may  serve  as  supports,  as 
anchorages  to  the  past.  The  leaves,  in  closest  contact  with 
air  and  sunlight,  most  sensitive  and  eager,  must  eat,  digest, 
assimilate,  and  even  envelop  the  venerable  part  with  one  layer 
more  to  increase  its  bulk,  its  weight  and  its  value.  This  new 
layer  must  be  itself  all  the  time  the  most  thoroughly  alive 
part  of  the  tree,  serving  as  pipes  for  the  sap-currents,  as  levers 
to  open  the  clinging  bark,  that  a  large  life  may  be  possible ; 
and  if  now  and  then  a  portion  be  sloughed  off  it  is  no  matter. 

The  youth  of  the  future  will  not  break  with  the  Bible. 
Nothing  has  been  found  to  take  its  place.  They  will  not  deny 
Christ.  There  is  none  other  name  whereby  we  must  be  saved. 
They  will  not  cease  to  use  the  winnowed  grain  of  other  days, 
but  they  have  no  use  nor  taste  for  husks. 

A  revised  edition  of  the  English  Bible,  more  Biblical  state- 
ments of  Christian  dogma,  more  manuals  of  Christian  songs, 
enlarged  methods  of  Christian  service,  a  better  understanding 
among  Christians  as  to  practical  philanthropy,  more  of  comity 


107 


between  the  Protestant  denominations  in  home  missionary 
work,  a  better  temper  and  more  intelligent  attitude  toward 
what  is  best  in  modern  scientific  thought,  a  revival  of  practi- 
cal righteousness,  a  fine  sense  of  personal  honor  in  all  the 
complex  relations  of  modern  life  that  shall  compel  the  respect 
and  secure  the  imitation  of  all  beholders  because  the  spirit  of 
this  world  never  has,  never  can  counterfeit  it,  a  consecration 
of  the  wealth  and  culture  of  these  days  of  prosperity  and  peace 
which  shall  equal  in  measure  and  quality  the  sacrifices  of  the 
Fathers  and  make  us  able  to  catch  the  spirit  as  well  as  repeat 
the  words  of  their  prayers  and  confessions, — such  are  some  of 
the  demands  made  upon  the  church  of  Christ  in  our  day, 
demands  which  I  need  not  say  in  this  presence  are  reasonable, 
earnest,  imperative.  We  must  meet  them  or  the  fire  which 
will  try  every  man's  work  will  find  nothing  in  the  edifices 
built  by  this  self-sufficient  generation  but  wood,  hay  and  stub- 
ble easily  consumed  and  leaving  as  a  residue  only  ashes. 

Can  the  churches  of  our  order  do  a  part  of  this  needed  work 
for  which  the  world  waiteth?  I  believe  that  they  can,  that 
their  history,  their  equipment  is  inferior  to  none;  that  they 
have  the  courage  to  fight  again  if  needs  be  on  historic  fields, 
and  the  zeal  to  press  eagerly  into  new  regions. 


ME.  IVES.  We  now  have  the  pleasure  of  an  address  from 
Dr.  Henry  M.  Booth.  I  do  not  know  as  his  name  appears  upon 
our  church  roll,  but  his  father  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  church,  and  others  of  the  family  have  been  members 
here.  We  are  glad  to  welcome  him. 

THE   GERMINAL   PRINCIPLES   OF   THE   PILGRIMS. 
REV.  HENRY  M.  BOOTH,  D.D. 

THERE  is  but  one  reason  why  I  should  speak  at  this  time, 
and  that  reason  suggests  an  appropriate  theme.  From  the 
first  day  until  now,  men  of  my  name  and  blood  have  been 
members  of  the  church  of  Stratford.  In  the  year  1641,  Mr. 


108 


Richard  Boothe,  an  honored  ancestor,  was  here,  as  an  active 
participant  in  public  aft'airs,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  he  was  present,  also,,  in  1G39,  when  this  organization  was 
effected.  My  father,  Mr.  William  A.  Booth,  and  my  uncle, 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Booth,  whose  hoary  heads  are  crowns  of  glory, 
as  they  are  found  among  us  still  in  the  way  of  righteousness, 
were  instrumental  in  the  erection  of  the  beautiful  Sanctuary, 
which  has  opened  its  doors  to  receive  this  interesting  celebra- 
tion. The  bright,  summer  days  of  my  own  childhood  were 
familiar  with  the  river  and  the  brooks,  the  meadows  and  the 
forests,  which  seem  to  have  been  made,  by  our  considerate 
Father  in  Heaven,  for  the  especial  happiness  of  an  active  boy. 

I  am  here,  therefore,  in  a  representative  attitude.  The 
church  of  Stratford  has  a  right  to  claim  my  presence ;  and  I 
am  honored  by  the  courteous  invitation,  which  has  given  me 
this  opportunity  of  speech. 

As  descendants  of  the  Pilgrims,  we  revere  the  intelligence, 
the  virtue  and  the  piety,  which  have  made  our  life  a  possi- 
bility. Those  principles  were  germinal.  Other  men  labored, 
and  we  have  entered  into  their  labors.  Ours  is  the  harvest, 
while  theirs  was  the  seed-time.  Degeneracy  is  not  evident ; 
but  progress.  The  past  is  never  honored  by  insisting  upon 
the  immorality  and  irreligion  of  the  the  present,  the  decline 
of  integrity  and  the  prevalence  of  vice.  It  is  to  the  credit  of 
the  husbandman  that  his  planting  yields  an  hundredfold. 
The  flinty  seed  is  a  prophecy,  which  the  full  corn  in  the  ear 
must  interpret.  Until  experience  becomes  a  teacher,  no  one 
can  imagine  whereunto  this  strange  thing  will  grow.  'kThat 
which  thou  sowest,  thou  sowest  not  that  body  that  shall  be, 
but  bare  grain,  it  may  chance  of  wheat,  or  of  some  other 
grain,  but  God  giveth  it  a  body,  as  it  hath  pleased  him,  and 
to  every  seed  his  own  body."  It  is  so  with  principles.  Men 
discover  them,  and  announce  them.  They  drop  into  the  soil 
of  human  nature,  where  they  germinate.  The  future  exhibits 
their  quality  in  freedom,  law,  and  godly  living ;  and  then  turns 
back  to  crown  the  wise  men,  who  aforetime  went  forth  weep- 
ing, bearing  precious  seed. 

This  then  is  our  conviction.     The   former  days  were  not 


109 


better  than  these.  We  do  not  wish  to  exchange  1889,  in  any 
particular,  for  1639.  A  decade  of  life  now  means  more  than 
a  half  century  did  then.  We  have  a  wider  out-look,  a  more 
generous  sympathy,  a  clearer  intelligence,  a  stronger  faith — 
and  this  is  true,  because  the  Pilgrims  were  the  men  of  God's 
selection,  who  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  with  important  ger- 
minal principles. 

But  what  were  these  principles?  We  may  name  but  two, 
although  there  were  many  others.  Two,  however,  were  espec- 
ially prominent  in  the  great  and  decisive  struggle  of  Puritan- 
ism, which  explains  the  migrations  of  the  Pilgrims  The 
divine  authority  of  the  Holy  Bible,  and  the  right  of  personal 
liberty  in  the  sight  of  God  were  beliefs,  which  these  heroic 
men  held  against  arguments  and  threats  and  persecutions  in 
the  old  world.  To  them  the  Holy  Bible  was  the  direct  mes- 
sage of  Almighty  God.  They  accepted  it  without  compro- 
mise. It  was  the  one — and  often  the  only — volume  in  their 
dwellings.  They  read  it  at  the  firesides,  during  the  long, 
cold,  desolate  winters ;  and  they  talked  about  it  to  their  child- 
ren and  neighbours  until  its  historical  facts  and  sublime  doc- 
trines had  taken  complete  possession  of  their  minds.  "To 
its  pages,"  says  Mr.  John  Fiske  in  his  recent  valuable  essay  on 
the  "Beginnings  of  New  England,"  "they  went  for  daily  in- 
struction and  comfort,  with  its  strange  Semitic  names,  they 
baptized  their  children,  upon  its  precepts,  too  often  misunder- 
stood and  misapplied,  they  sought  to  build  up  a  rule  of  life 
that  might  raise  them  above  the  crude  and  unsatisfying  world, 
into  which  they  were  born."  We  smile,  as  we  read  some  of 
their  interpretations.  We  wonder,  as  we  find  them  trying  to 
reproduce  in  New  England  the  mistaken  Judaism  of  the  time 
of  our  Lord.  But  they  were  at  work  in  a  rich  quarry.  They 
were  advancing  along  safe  lines.  Immortal  principles,  long 
buried  out  of  sight,  long  neglected  by  a  lazy  and  a  despotic 
priesthood,  were  discovered,  and,  later  generations,  enlight- 
ened by  the  Holy  Spirit,  could  be  trusted  to  separate  the  gold 
from  the  quartz,  and  to  survey  and  map  out  the  newly  dis- 
covered territory.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  loyalty  to  the 
Holy  Bible  expressed  itself,  in  1636,  by  an  appropriation  of 


110 


£400,  which  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  voted  towards 
the  establishment  of  a  college  at  Newtown — "  the  first  body 
in  which^the  people  by  their  representatives  ever  gave  their 
own  money  to  found  a  place  of  education" — and  in  1639,  in 
the  Hartford  Constitution,  which  "was  the  first  written  con- 
stitution known  to  history  that  created  a  government."  Thus 
biblical  truth  secured  an  early  prominence,  in  education  and 
in  politics,  whose  influence  is  still  manifest,  as,  at  this  hour, 
great  and  distant  territories  are  organizing  to  become  States 
of  the  Republic. 

But  personal  liberty  was  cherished  by  the  Pilgrims  with  an 
intensity,  which  matched  their  reverence  for  the  Holy  Bible. 
They  would  call  no  man  Lord.  The  heart-searching  Judge 
of  all  the  earth  was  recognized,  as  the  only  Lord  of  the  con- 
science. They  gave  up  home  and  friendships  to  be  free. 
They  were,  it  is  true,  not  as  tolerant  as  they  might  have  been. 
Liberty  was  personal,  rather  than  social.  They  had  not  learned 
to  measure  other  men  by  the  Golden  Rule,  as  they  expected 
themselves  to  be  measured.  Differences  of  opinion  awakened 
bitter  antagonisms.  They  could  not  agree  with  Quakers  and 
Episcopalians ;  and  they  believed  that  they  were  discharging 
a  duty,  when  they  put  an  unsympathetic  visitor  into  the 
streets.  Roger  Williams  held  views,  which  are  now  the  views 
of  most  Christian  patriots  in  our  country;  and  so  liberal  a 
man,  as  Governor  Winthrop,  advised  Williams  that  it  would 
be  safe  for  him  to  make  his  home  among  the  Indians.  No 
harsh  judgment,  however,  need  be  passed  upon  this  narrow- 
ness. Catholicity  was  a  stranger  to  those  times.  Indeed,  we 
are  just  beginning  to  form  an  acquaintance  with  a  genuine 
Catholicity.  We  do  not  burn  and  stone  one  another  it  is  true, 
and  yet  our  words  are  sometimes  as  hot  as  a  flame,  and  as  rough 
as  brick-bats.  We  are  still  learning.  Two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  have  taught  many  lessons  to  an  appreciative  Christen- 
dom. Freedom  of  speech  is  the  safety-valve,  which  has  pre- 
vented frequent  explosions.  Gas  is  never  very  dangerous,  if 
it  is  allowed  to  escape  into  the  air.  When  it  is  confined,  it 
threatens  life  and  property.  My  claim  to  personal  liberty 
covers  your  claim  to  the  same  inestimable  privilege:  and  if  I 


Ill 


demand  that  you  should  respect  my  freedom  of  conviction,  so 
long  as  I  behave  myself  in  a  lawful  and  an  orderly  manner,  you 
may  make  similar  demands  of  me.  Thus  toleration  may  be- 
come social  liberty  in  all  parts  of  this  broad  land. 

Holding  firmly  to  these  principals,  our  fathers,  here  in 
Stratford,  associated  themselves  with  the  Hartford,  or  Con- 
necticut Colony  which  was  then  more  liberal  in  its  attitude 
than  the  nearer  Colony  of  New  Haven,  in  which  none  but 
church  members  were  allowed  a  participation  in  the  privileges 
of  citizenship.  They  were  husbandman,  whose  planting  the 
generations  have  honored.  The  history  of  the  church  of 
Stratford  is  the  abundant  harvest,  which  we  now  contemplate 
with  gratitude  to  God,  and  with  admiration  for  his  servants, 
our  ancestors.  But  the  end  is  not  yet.  Seed-time  has  not 
gone  by  forever.  We,  too,  have  duties,  which  are  comparable 
to  theirs.  The  principles  which  we  have  received,  are  capable 
of  further  development.  The  Holy  Bible  is  not  exhausted. 
John  Robinson's  memorable  remark  about  its  contents  is  still 
in  order.  Liberty  has  grander  triumphs  to  record.  We  are 
in  the  line  of  a  noble  succession.  Those  who  come  after  us, 
may  rise  up,  and  call  us  blessed.  Let  us  thank  God  for  the 
opportunity !  Let  us  address  ourselves  to  the  rare  and  sacred 
privilege ! 

On  the  famous  rock  at  Plymouth  in  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts,  a  splendid  monument  was  recently  dedicated 
with  impressive  ceremonies.  More  than  two  centuries  and  a 
half  had  passed  since  the  Pilgrims  left  the  Mayflower  and 
landed  upon  those  shores.  To  commemorate  the  principles 
of  that  distinguished  ancestry,  the  Plymouth  monument  is  to 
stand  through  the  centuries.  Upon  a  granite  pedestal,  a 
sculptured  figure  of  Faith  is  raised.  In  her  left  hand,  there 
is  an  open  Bible,  while  with  her  right  hand  she  points  up- 
ward, to  the  divine  source  of  all  true  inspiration.  At  her  feet 
are  statues  of  Education,  Law,  Morality,  and  Freedom — all 
reverently  submissive  to  her  firm,  yet  gentle  authority.  "  Hon- 
ored names  are  on  the  pedestal,  and  sculptured  tablets  repre- 
sent the  chief  scenes  of  their  career,  the  embarkation,  the  com- 
p'act,  the  landing,  and  the  first  treaty  with  the  Indians ;  but 


112 


overshadowing  all  are  the  embodiments  of  those  immutable 
principles,  which  lifted  them  above  the  level  of  their  priva- 
tions and  disappointments,  and  enabled  their  heroic  spirits  to 
soar  with  serene  and  constant  poise  in  the  higher  atmosphere 
of  faith  and  hope." 

The  conception  of  the  artist,  so  grandly  expressed  in  granite 
language  is  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the  Pilgrims  and  a  sugges- 
tive lesson  to  their  children.  The  faith,  which  studied  the 
Holy  Bible,  and  referred  the  interests  of  daily  life  to  Him. 
who  guides  and  judges  righteously,  delayed  not  to  establish 
Education  and  Law,  Morality  and  Freedom,  in  every  new  com- 
munity, which  found  a  home  on  the  banks  of  broad  rivers,  or 
in  fertile  valleys,  or  even  amidst  the  forest  shades.  Faith  in 
God  and  in  the  Word  of  God  secured  these  inestimable  bles- 
sings, when  as  yet  the  struggle  for  existence  was  a  desperate 
conflict.  The  seed  was  planted,  and  the  promise  of  the  har- 
vest seemed  far  away.  But  faith  looks  into  the  future.  The 
distant  is  real,  and  often  visible  to  faith.  The  Pilgrims  were 
living  for  those,  who  should  come  after  them.  They  left  the 
impress  of  a  holy  faith  upon  institutions,  which  are  essential 
to  a  civilized  life.  Theirs  was  the  grand  initiative;  ours  is 
the  wise  development;  later  centuries  will  enjoy  the  complete 
fruition.  Elementary  work  at  the  beginning;  carefnl  disci- 
pline in  the  process ;  a  splendid  order  at  the  end. 

Education:  A  simple  school-house  then,  commanding  uni- 
versities now;  a  few  books  donated  by  Christian  ministers 
then,  the  precious  treasures  of  immense  libraries  in  every  con- 
siderable town  now  ;  a  few  studies  then,  divinity,  medicine  and 
law,  the  professions  of  learned  men,  a  wealth  of  science  and  art 
and  literature  now,  with  men  of  learning  in  every  important 
vocation ;  instruction  by  teachers  and  ministers  of  religion  then  ; 
instruction  now  by  the  press  in  every  use  of  the  printed  page. 
A  marvellous  advance !  A  progress  almost  incredible !  Look, 
with  the  eyes  of  John  Harvard,  who  in  1638  left  his  library 
and  the  half  of  his  estate  to  the  feeble  college  at  Newtown ; 
and  then  look  with  your  own  eyes  at  that  college,  now  the 
University  of  Cambridge,  with  its  corps  of  instructors,  and 
its  roll  of  students,  and  its  magnificent  history !  What  shall 


113 


the  future  be  ?  What  is  before  education  in  the  coming  years  ? 
Who  can  predict?  Certainly,  there  will  be  wisdom  and  safety 
in  holding  education  in  subordination  to  Faith,  where  it  was 
placed  by  the  Pilgrims  in  the  early  years.  An  education,  which 
considers  all  knowledge,  and  then  brings  its  treasures  to  a 
Faith,  whose  gaze  is  Godward,  is  the  pledge  of  the  finest  pro- 
duct of  civilization,  the  perfect  man  in  the  likeness  of  Jesus 
Christ.  With  you  and  with  me,  the  active  men  of  the  present 
generation,  rests  a  result,  so  desirable.  Let  us  be  faithful! 

Law :  Justice  administered  by  council  and  governor  then, 
by  an  alliance  of  church  and  State ;  justice,  conserved  to-day  by 
the  most  august  tribunal  in  the  world — the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States — from  whose  decisions  there  is  no  appeal, 
and  seldom  a  desire  to  appeal.  What  shall  the  future  be'? 
Shall  the  dignity  of  law  be  maintained  and  increased"?  Is  it 
possible  to  make  respect  for  law  equal  to  standing  armies  and 
large  companies  of  police?  Can  we  hope  that  law,  among  a 
free  people,  will  exercise  so  powerful  an  influence  that  offences 
will  cease,  and  prisons  will  become  useless?  /  Surely,  we  shall 
be  assisted  in  this  desirable  endeavor,  if  Faith  has  a  recog- 
nized supremacy,  in  which  the  authority  of  the  heart-search- 
ing God  is  impressed  upon  the  citizen.  Law  may  subdue  the 
lawless,  and  record  its  triumphs  in  a  virtuous  social  order, 
and  then  offer  to  Faith,  whose  gaze  is  Godward  a  happy  peo- 
ple, whose  God  is  the  Lord.  With  you  and  with  me,  the 
active  men  of  this  generation,  Law  finds  its  dependence.  Let 
us  be  faithful! 

Morality :  Stern,  rigid,  uncompromising  then,  more  gen- 
tle, sympathetic,  pervasive,  yes,  and  Christ-like  now.  The 
gain  is  evident.  The  morality  of  to  day  is  not  an  easy  expe- 
diency, which  finds  honesty  the  best  policy  and  so  is  honest ; 
but  it  is  an  integrity,  a  purity,  a  catholicity,  a  nobility,  which 
has  never  been  equalled  since  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was 
preached.  This  we  affirm  in  the  face  of  a  complaisant  pessi- 
mism, which  is  fond  of  criticizing  public  men  and  public 
measures,  while  abundantly  satisfied  with  personal  merit  and 
individual  attainment.  But  criticism  can  never  be  judicious, 
if  it  finds  honesty  only  by  standing  before  a  looking-glass, 


114 


and  iniquity  always  by  going  to  the  window  to  observe  the 
crowded  street.  But  while  we  thus  speak,  we  are  not  content. 
Who  can  ever  be  content,  if  it  is  possible  to  be  better  than  we 
are?  Morality  calls  for  self-denying  effort.  There  is  much 
to  be  done.  Faith  must  rule.  God  must  become  the  author- 
ity. The  Decalogue  is  a  Statute-Book  of  perpetual  obligation. 
Happy  will  it  be  for  us,  if  our  morality  shall  be  so  intimately 
associated  with  Faith,  whose  gaze  is  Godward,  that  the  pres- 
sure of  a  divine  obligation  shall  be  felt,  and  the  hope  of  a 
divine  approval  shall  become  an  inspiration.  With  you  and 
with  me,  the  active  men  of  this  generation,  rests  the  morality 
of  the  coming  years.  Let  us  be  faithful ! 

And  Freedom:  what  shall  we  say  of  freedom?  The  Fa- 
thers believed  in  a  freedom,  which  has  written  many  a  dark 
and  distressing  chapter  of  our  nation's  history.  Our  freedom 
is  an  advance  upon  theirs.  We  rebuke  persecution :  we  call  no 
man  a  slave :  we  frown  upon  bigotry :  we  welcome  the  op- 
pressed. Yet  freedom,  in  many  quarters,  is  the  synonym  of 
license :  and  in  many  others,  it  is  only  a  name,  which  covers 
cruel  bigotry  and  wicked  deeds.  We  have  yet  to  present  to 
the  world  a  Freedom,  which  is  the  expression  of  Education, 
Law,  and  Morality;  a  Freedom,  which  utters  its  "Our  Fa- 
ther" in  daily  prayer,  and  then  considers  "Our  Brethren"  in 
daily  conduct ;  a  Freedom,  which  looks  up  to  Faith,  whose 
gaze  is  Godward,  and  confesses  that  in  the  Holy  Bible  is  to 
be  found  the  liberty,  wherewith  Christ  makes  free.  Thus  the 
suggestion  of  the  Fathers  awaits  its  clear  interpretation  in  the 
associated  life  of  a  great  nation,  whose  strength  and  wealth 
are  the  evident  dangers  of  an  unexampled  prosperity.  To 
you  and  to  me,  the  active  men  of  this  generation,  God  has 
committed  this  great  trust.  Let  us  be  faithful,  so  that  our 
fellow-men,  in  later  years,  may  enjoy  a  Freedom,  which  will 
prove  a  perfect  brotherhood. 

Thus  we  stand  at  the  close  of  the  years,  so  memorable. 
Looking  back,  we  salute  the  honored  sires,  whose  names  we 
reverence,  and  whose  deeds  we  prize:  looking  about  us,  we 
exhort  our  fellow-men,  whose  toil  we  share  and  whose  fellow- 
ship we  now  enjoy:  looking  onward,  we  hail  the  generations 


115 


yet  unborn  with  promise  and  with  hope,  pledging-  them  the 
safe  transmission  of  the  fathers'  principles,  not  as  glittering 
gems,  the  same  to-day  as  when  first  discovered,  but  as  precious 
seed,  planted  and  re-planted,  and  planted  still  again  to  sup- 
port the  life  of  man  upon  the  earth  and  ever  to  yield  a  plant- 
ing for  those  who  will  be  here  in  other  years. 

The  scene,  brighter  now  than  it  was  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago,  will  be  brighter  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  hence 
than  it  is  to-day — and  in  this  place,  as  elsewhere,  the  Lord  of 
Life  and  Glory  shall  come,  responsively  to  Faith,  to  pronounce 
his  commendation  upon  Education,  Law,  Morality,  and  Free- 
dom, as  exhibited  in  the  land  to  which  the  Pilgrims  brought 
their  germinal  principles. 

"  Down  the  dark  future,  thro'  long  generations, 
The  echoing  sounds  grow  fainter,  and  then  cease, 
And  like  a  bell,  with  solemn,  sweet  vibrations, 
I  hear,  once  more,  the  voice  of  Christ  say,  '  Peace.' 

'  Peace,'  and  no  longer  from  its  brazen  portals 
The  blast  of  war's  rude  organ  shakes  the  skies, 
But  beautiful  as  songs  of  the  immortals 
The  holy  melodies  of  love  arise." 


MR.  IVES.  Even  the  brightest  day  draws  to  its  close;  and 
so  these  most  delightful  exercises  must  be  concluded.  Let 
us  join  in  singing  the  155th  hymn,  after  which  the  benediction 
will  be  pronounced  by  Mr.  Holden,  of  the  Olivet  Church, 
Bridgeport. 


BENEDICTION. 

REV.  E.  K.  HOLDEN. 

AND  now  may  the  Lord  bless  you  and  keep  you.  The  Lord 
make  His  face  shine  upon  you  and  be  gracious  unto  you.  The 
Lord  lift  upon  you  the  light  of  His  countenance  and  give  you 
peace.  Amen. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Congregational  Church,  Stratford,  .  .  .  Frontispiece. 

Church  Decorations.  Looking  West,  .  .  .            .          9 

Interior  of  Old  Church,         ......        38 

Collation  Tables  at  Town  Hall,        .  .  .         .  .            .45 

Church  Decorations,  Looking  East,  .  .  .            ,        7ti 

Old  Congregational  Church,             .  .  .  .            .        92 

Collection  of  Relics  in  Lecture  Room,  .  .  .            .82 


NOTE. — The  Committee  on  Publication  are  indebted  to  F.  C.  Beach,  Esq.,  for  photo- 
graphs, and  to  Deacon  R.  B.  Lacey  for  electrotype  used  in  illustrating  this  book. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Address,  Historical,  Rev.  ,T.  S.  Ives,            .            .            .  .16 

Of  Welcome,  Rev.  J.  S.  Ives,  47 

Rev.  William  K.  Hall,  D.D.,        .            .            .  .95 

Rev.  Frank  S.  Fitch,         .            .            .            .  .100 

Rev.  Henry  M.  Booth,  D.D.,        .            .            .  .107 

Anniversary  Hymn,  Rev.  J.  S.  Ives,            .             .             .  .11 

Benediction,  Rev.  J.  S.  Ives,  .....        44 

Rev.  John  G.  Davenport,       .             .            .  .90 

Rev.  E.  K.  Holden,     .            .            .            .  .115 

Committees,  List  of  .            .            .            .            .            .  .5 

Communion,    ...... 

Greeting  to  the  Children,  etc.,  Rev.  William  K.  Hall,  D.D.,  .        48 

Rev.  Frank  S.  Fitch.         .  .        52 

Prayer,  Rev.  G.  F.  Prentiss,  .....         12 

Rev.  C.  R.  Palmer,  D.D.,    .            /         .            •  .13 

Rev.  William  K.  Hall,  D.D.,  (Communion),         .  .        42 

Rev.  Frank  S.  Fitch,  (Communion),          .            .  .43 

Rev.  H.  A.  Davenport,  (Blessing,  Collation),        .  .        45 

Rev.  G.  W.  Judson, 46 

Rev.  Alfred  E.  Ives,  .        93 

Programme,    ......  .7 

Reading  of  Scriptures,  Rev.  J.  A.  Freeman,           .  .         13 

Rev.  Charles  L.  Pardee,     .  .        93 

Response,  Woodbury  South,  Rev.  J.  A.  Freeman,  .        50 

First  Church  Bridgeport,  Rev.  C.  R.  Palmer,  D.D.,  .        55 

Newtown,  Rev.  J.  P.  Hoyt,       .            .            .  .57 

Huntington,  Rev.  A.  J.  Park,    .            .            .  .61 

Trumbull,  II.  L.  Fail-child,  Esq.,          .  .62 

Monroe,  Dea.  W.  Wells  Lewis,  .            .            .  .65 

Southbury,  Rev.  David  C.  Pierce,         .            .  .67 

Bethlehem,  Rev.  J.  P.  Trowbridjre.      .  .        69 

Washington,  Dea.  E.  W.  Woodruff.     .  .         71 

South  Britain,  Mr.  John  Pierce.            .  74 

Woodbury  North,  RRV.  J.  L.  R.  Wyckoff,'      .  .        7« 

South  Church.  Bridgeport,  Rev.  B.  G.  S.  McNeillc,  .         79 

Park  Street,  Bridgeport,  Rev.  II.  C.  Hovey,  D.D.,  .        «•> 

Olivet,  Bridgeport,  J.  J.  Rose,  Esq.,    .            .  .85 

West  End,  Bridgeport,  Dea.  J.  W.  Northrop,  .        87 


UC  SOUTHERN  REG 


A     000  020  301 


